The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO people from the Dominican Republic were accused of having fraudulent Bahamian voter’s cards.

Teofilo Antonio Tavarez, 57, and Larny Estefania Tavarez Nova, 33, were each charged with three counts of possession of a forged document, three counts of uttering a forged document, and two counts of fraud by false pretences before Senior Magistrate Kendra Kelly Burrows.

Tavarez was assisted by a Spanish translator during his arraignment.

Prosecutors allege that between April 25 and May 10, 2024, Tavarez and Nova used fake registration certificates and fraudulent immigration letters to obtain Bahamian passports from the Passport Office.

In May 2024, the accused allegedly used their fraudulent passports at the Parliamentary Registry to obtain voter’s cards in their names.

While the defendants previously pleaded not guilty to the passport fraud charges, they maintained that position at their latest court appearance and also pleaded not guilty to the additional voter fraud charges.

Tavarez and Nova, who both have valid work permits, will continue on their existing $6,000 bail granted last February.

Nova returns to court on April 22, while Tavarez’s next court date is June 10.

Levan Johnson represented the accused, while Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom prosecuted the case.