A 50-year-old travel agent, seemingly at the heart of several fraudulent conversion schemes—which included defrauding the government, has been found and arrested.
Michelle Anthony of Lightfoot, who has been reportedly missing since December 16, has been charged with four separate instances of fraud—allegedly taking over EC$44,000 of customers’ money for her own benefit.
She had been reportedly granted bail by the court amounting to $80,000 ($6,500 in cash), however, she was required to hand over all travel documents, supply two sureties and check in at the All Saints Police Station three times weekly among other conditions imposed on her.
She is expected back in court on February 27.
On September 2, the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission issued a statement announcing that reigning panorama champions, Hells Gate Steel Orchestra, was unable to travel as scheduled to New York to attend Antigua and Barbuda Day festivities.
The festivals commission said that the “unfortunate situation has resulted in significant setbacks to our planned activities and performances, including the…2023 Labour Day celebrations in New York.”
The allegedly fraudster took from the government EC $29,031.31 on August 25, intended to be spent on the tickets but rather spent it on herself.
Meanwhile, the second victim was Dianna Adams who was reportedly defrauded twice of $1,500 – first on December 1 and then on December 10.
The third victim was Ethel McKenzie-Hector who was allegedly defrauded of EC $12,650 between August 15 and December 13 on Friars Hill Road.
Observer media previously reported that two other victims were defrauded for a collective value of EC $5,000 in April for three plane tickets to travel to Guyana on December 12.
Similarly, another individual reportedly purchased a single airline ticket valued at EC$2,190 on October 19, for travel to Guyana—also on December 12.
It was reported that when victims attempted to check in for the flight at the VC Bird International Airport, they were informed that the tickets had never been purchased.
It is unclear whether these instances have been directly linked to Anthony by police.
