A man convicted of allowing his bank account to be used by fraudsters who scammed victims out of thousands of dollars was yesterday jailed for six months.

Marcal Burrows, 38, from Warwick, was found guilty earlier this year of facilitating the use of criminal proceeds by another on a date between August 1, 2021 and December 14, 2021.

While the trial was conducted in Magistrates’ Court, Alan Richards, for the Crown, said at a hearing last month that the matter was brought to the Supreme Court for sentencing so that a forfeiture order could be made regarding $18,600 of criminal proceeds still in Burrows’s bank account.

He told the court then that Burrows had allowed his HSBC account to be used by fraudsters conducting the scam, which promised victims fast and significant returns for investments.

Mr Richards said last month that the scammers used social media, particularly Instagram, to encourage people to invest in a fraudulent scheme and instructed them to pay sums into Burrows’s Bermuda account.

He noted that court records indicated that Burrows twice sent his bank card to an address in Jamaica and provided people with his PIN and other information, so that money could be withdrawn from his account.

Mr Richards said then that more than $93,000 of criminal proceeds was paid into Burrows’s account, with the bulk of those funds being withdrawn in cash in Jamaica.

During his trial, Burrows claimed that he been one of the victims, paying the people overseas about $10,000.

He claimed he only provided the scammers with his bank details in a bid to get his money back.

After being found guilty, the prosecution called for Burrows to be jailed for up to eight months.

Defence attorney Marc Daniels argued that any prison sentence should be suspended because the defendant was also a victim.

Sentencing Burrows, Puisne Judge Juan Wolffe said it was “imperative that an unequivocal message be sent that your behaviour cannot be tolerated”.

He added that, regardless of how Burrows became involved in the scheme, he ended up playing “a pivotal role” in it.

Burrows was ordered to hand over the $18,600 that remained in the account in compensation to some of the victims.

Mr Justice Wolffe said that Burrows had “played on the hopes and dreams” of those who had fallen for the scam ― actions that were “unforgivable”.

He said that while some measure of compensation may provide “some solace” to the victims, they would most likely have lost faith in financial institutions and even in people in general.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding court cases. As we are legally liable for any libellous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers