Two prison officers will experience prison as inmates instead of guards now that they’ve been sentenced for ripping off the government in a sick slip scam.
Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt said the court had to send a strong message that the actions of Mercette Pinder and Aryett Lightbourne were unacceptable.
Both men skipped worked and used fake sick slips to justify their absence, while receiving full pay.
Pinder and Lightbourne won’t have any choice but to stay on the prison compound now that the court has sentenced them to 60 days and 40 days respectively.
What’s more, Pinder has to repay the $1,516.14 that he obtained by fraud as well as pay a fine of $1,000 to avoid spending an extra three months in prison.
Lightbourne will also have his sentence extended by three months if he doesn’t repay the $360 that he illegally received and pay a $1,000 fine.
Commissioner of Prisons Charles Murphy called in police after he suspected the sick slips they’d presented to justify time off were bogus.
During their interviews with police, both men claimed that they got the sick slips from nurses at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Pinder claimed that he paid a nurse $15 for his first sick certificate and $25 for the second one.
However, Lightbourne didn’t reveal how much he paid for his.
Both guards have lost their jobs and freedom for their dishonesty.