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Ex-con who cheated Marcia Griffiths of millions to repay singer

Published:Wednesday | October 5, 2022 | 12:16 AM
Marcia Griffiths, Jamaican songstress.
Marcia Griffiths, Jamaican songstress.

An ex-convict who defrauded veteran reggae singer Marcia Griffiths of approximately $4.8 million pleaded guilty to fraud charges on Tuesday and promised to start making payments next week Thursday.

Ray Morgan, who was remanded, pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining money by false pretence when he appeared before Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole Montaque in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

The accused had just finished serving a 12-year stint in prison for four counts of fraud when he conned the entertainer last July.

Morgan’s case was also highlighted in the media as he had appealed his sentence, which was handed down in the then Resident Magistrate’s Court but had ended up completing his term before his appeal was heard.

In the matter at hand, the facts are that Griffiths was introduced to Morgan last year as someone who was interested in purchasing property that would be used to build a museum to preserve the singer’s legacy.

The court heard that he told the complainant that he and his overseas partners would lend her US$500,000 to purchase the property and finance the construction, but she would have to fork out US$30,000 for the fees and J$250,000 for stamp duty.

Morgan told Griffiths that she should pay over the monies to him and she later wired transfer the money to his account.

Following the transaction, Griffiths made several attempts to contact Morgan but was unable to reach him for some time.

editorial@gleanerjm.com