A man was today jailed 14-months as the mastermind behind a fraudulent scheme whereby he swindled a number of commercial enterprises of their monies by placing purchase orders and effecting payment by means of cheques issued in the name of a deceased person.
Keith Camilleri, 36, from Qormi, faced 13 counts of fraud, and was additionally accused of falsifying bank cheques to obtain goods knowingly derived through fraudulent means.
The man was further accused of relapsing and of committing the fraud during the operative period of earlier suspended sentences.
The scam was unearthed in July 2012 when the Economic Crimes Unit was inundated with reports regarding ‘bounced cheques’ issued under the signature of Saviour Grima.
Investigators soon made out a common thread linking the various reports. Victims told the police how they had received a call from a certain ‘Tony’ from Salvo Grima Ship Handler company, posting an order for a ship that had sailed into port and that needed fresh supplies.
Thirteen commercial enterprises provided drinks, cigarettes, electronics, coffee and other products even though no purchase order was forwarded.
Following the phone call, a man would call for the order, take the goods, hand over a cheque, duly accept a receipt for payment and take leave, all in a hurried fashion.
It was only when the cheque bounced that the companies realised they had been conned, later discovering that the signatory on the cheque was indeed a deceased person.
CCTV footage from the commercial premises soon put investigators on the trail of the suspected fraudster, who was eventually arrested and criminally charged.
In the course of the proceedings, several of the victims identified the accused who later admitted to the charges.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Josette Demicoli, after consulting a pre-sentencing report and in view of the accused’s drug problem as well as his past brushes with the law, declared him guilty and sent him to jail.
Moreover, the court placed the accused under a one-year Treatment Order so that he might receive help to overcome his addiction ‘once and for all.’
Inspectors Carol Fabri and Arthur Mercieca prosecuted.