Personnel from several US law enforcement agencies are now in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court for the extradition hearing of eight people including a policeman wanted on lottery scamming charges.
The US agencies represented in court are the FBI, the US Postal Investigation Service, the US Marshall Service and the US District Attorney’s Office for North Dakota. The eight accused are Police Constable Jason Jahalal, Alrick McLeod, Dhalia Hunter, Oneil Brown, Xanu-Ann Morgan, Karoe Gray, Dario Palmer and Kimberley Hudson. They are wanted on an indictment handed down in the State of North Dakota in the US. According to the DPP’s office, the eight have each been indicted on one count of conspiracy and attempting to commit wire fraud; 48 counts of wire fraud; 15 counts of mail fraud, and one count of money laundering in the state of North Dakota in the US. The DPP says in the case against Hudson, prosecutors revealed that their counterparts in North Dakota have alleged that she was part of a criminal organisation they believe was led by a Jamaican man identified as Labrick Willocks. Prosecutors charged that the gang began operations in 2009 from Jamaica, the US and elsewhere and used an advance fee scheme to defraud a total of 80 elderly victims of approximately US$5.6 million. According to them, the cash was sent to Jamaica by middlemen operating in the US through blank cheques, wire transfers, the mail service and by money couriers.
A police corporal today revealed that United States law enforcement personnel participated as “observers” in a police operation in Western Jamaica in March this year targeting alleged scammers to be extradited to the United States.
Detective Corporal Nashema Newell of the police Fugitive Apprehension Team made the declaration in the Kingston and St Andrew parish court at the extradition hearing for eight Jamaicans including a police constable Jason Jahalal. The other accused are: Alrick McLeod, Dhalia Hunter, Oneil Brown, Xanu-Ann Morgan, Karoe Gray, Dario Palmer and Kimberley Hudson. Tom Tavares Finson, the attorney for Dhalia Hunter was cross-examining corporal Newell when the issue arose that US law enforcement personnel were part of a March 30 operation aimed at executing an arrest warrant on his client.
Tavares Finson wanted to know on whose authority the foreign agents participated in the operation. But Detective Corporal Newell declined to say, noting that it was privileged information she could not reveal.
While the cop was responding, US agents from the FBI, the US postal investigation service, the US Marshall Service and the US District Attorney’s office for North Dakota, sat in the Half-Way Tree Court listening to her evidence. Tavares Finson pointed to one Special Agent Gosper and asked him to stand. He then asked Corporal Newell if the agent was on the police operation. Her response: Not sure But Constable Newell said she was sure the US agents did not travel with local police when they went in search of Dahlia Hunter at her four-storey home in Greenwood, St James. She said the American team met up with local police at the Falmouth Police Station in Trelawny.
http://jamaicagleaner.com/article/news/20160728/cop-tells-court-us-officers-only-observed-execution-arrest-warrants-out-west