Four people admitted to receiving NIB unemployment benefits totaling $24,102.47.
Brian Cooper, Quentin Rahming, Santoine Major and Kaylisa Miller were among 16 people accused of receiving benefits they weren’t supposed to get.
Cooper and Rahming each got cheques for $4,256.89, Major received a cheque for $4,125 and Miller got a cheque for $3,081.80.
They admitted to charges of fraud by false pretenses and money laundering this afternoon.
The fraudsters told police that they received a few hundred dollars after cashing the cheques and gave the rest of the money to the unnamed person who recruited them to the scheme.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes said he wouldn’t send them to prison for misusing public funds.
That’s because Forbes said the government would have to spend more money to keep them in prison.
Instead, Forbes ordered the three men and one woman to repay the fraudulently obtained money by October 30.
If they don’t, they’ll be jailed for six months.
Prosecutors say NIB manager Dino Dean is the mastermind behind the scheme that saw the theft of $123,809.94 in public funds.
Dean allegedly approved the false unemployment claims.
He denied charges of forgery, falsification of accounts, money laundering, fraud by false pretenses, and conspiracy to commit fraud by false pretenses and was denied bail.
Other accused participants in the scheme are: Leroy Poitier, Latoya Neely, Ashanique Neely, Gary LaFleur, Lakeisha Tucker, Gillian Thurston, Ray Rigby, Thio Rolle, Gadville Woodside, Jermaine Evans and Takia Smith.
They’ve denied charges of fraud by false pretenses and money laundering and were denied bail.
However, they can apply for bail in the Supreme Court.
The remaining defendants return to court on February 9 for trial.
