Portmore gas station supervisor charged with fraud freed after paying back the money

A former supervisor at a gas station in Portmore, St Catherine who was charged over the theft of over $1 million in a phone card scam walked free from the St Catherine Parish Court on Tuesday after paying back the money.

The charges of larceny as a servant and unauthorised access to computer to facilitate the commission of an offence were dismissed against Chevroll Osbourne after the complainant told the court that he did not wish to pursue the matter against any further since the stolen money was repaid.

Osbourne was freed by Senior Parish Court Judge Desiree Alleyne.

He and other workers at the gas station were charged for pocketing money from the sale of phone credit.

While the case against Osbourne has been dismissed, his co-accused Tyrique Austin and Morris Murrant are scheduled to reappear  in court on September 13 when their matters will again be mentioned.

Murrant is accused of defrauding $890,000, while Austin is accused of stealing $920,000.

Allegations are that on January 24 the complainant conducted a surprise verification of his gas station in Independence City, Portmore and that during the checks a multimillion-dollar phone credit fraud was discovered.

The police were contacted and investigation led to the former employees being charged with fraud.

It is being alleged that they gained unauthorised access to a phone card machine and sold call credit.

They reportedly spent the proceeds.

A fourth accused, Corey Carter, was previously freed after making restitution.

- Rasbert Turner

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