(CMR) Trisha Marissa Jackson (38) has pleaded guilty today to stealing $18, 890.00 from the Cayman Islands Government between November 2011 and January 2017 when she was the administrator at the Facilities Management Department.
According to government sources the employee left the government service prior to her arrest on Aug. 16. The alleged thefts were uncovered in two audits conducted earlier this year, the first in March and the second in May. Those records were passed to the Facilities Management Department which then notified the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.
“It is alleged that in her former position [the suspect] arranged for short-term rental of government facilities to a community group between the years 2011 and 2016 and that monies paid by the group to the woman were not paid to the Cayman Islands government finance department,” an RCIPS statement on the investigation noted.
Typically, the government does charge private companies and non-profit groups for the use of its civic centers, although exemptions can be made to those rental charges for “community enrichment activities,”. It was alleged in this instance that she did not pass on funds she collected to the public purse. The government has a number of community centers around the islands including the South Sound Community Centre facility/
This week, Magistrate Valdis Foldats noted that Ms. Jackson also faced two charges of false accounting and eight charges of obtaining property by deception. He said these appeared to explain the method by which the money had been stolen, but did not affect the amount.
He asked Crown counsel Scott Wainwright to consider whether the one plea to theft would cover the criminality of the offending.
The magistrate ordered a social inquiry report and a victim impact statement.
Attorneys were asked to present any arguments in writing. Sentencing was set for Monday, July 23 and the defendant’s bail was continued until then.
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