A man who tried to swindle ACE out of $20 million by pretending to be a company director faces up to five years behind bars after being found guilty yesterday.

Maxwell Roberts invented a bizarre cast of characters during his self-conducted defence, claiming that despite being caught red-handed, he was merely a messenger for other shady figures.

Referring to the tall tales told during the trial after finding Roberts guilty yesterday, Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo branded him "an actor with a massive criminal imagination".

Roberts, 40, of no fixed address, carried out the scam on September 6, just a day after being released from Westgate after serving three years for a similar crime. Prosecution witnesses told how he made a series of suspicious calls to ACE ? an international insurance and re-insurance company based in Hamilton ? in order to set up the swindle.

He told head of human resources Pandora Wright that he was a company director named Richard Strauss ? although in fact there is no director of that name.

Recalling the "odd" conversation she had with Roberts, Ms Wright said during her evidence that "Mr. Strauss" claimed an investigator called Kenneth Stevens was flying into Bermuda to launch an investigation into the company's CEO.

He demanded that a $20 million cheque should be left at the company's reception desk as payment to start the probe.

Ms Wright recalled how she suspected a hoax, but when she told the caller she was not authorised to produce the cheque said: "He got somewhat agitated, raised his voice, started speaking quicker, and basically said that he would not tolerate insubordination and that he would personally fly down on his private jet and fire me".

After Ms Wright contacted the authorities, Police worked with ACE to prepare a fake $20 million cheque.

Detectives from the fraud unit staked out the company's lobby, with one even posing as a receptionist. They arrested Roberts when he came to pick up the fake cheque, while posing as a messenger named John Singleton.

Roberts denied attempting to dishonestly obtain the cheque by deception. He elected to defend himself during the three-day Magistrates' Court trial, claiming that he was merely a messenger hired by Mr. Strauss and Mr. Stevens, and saying: "I don't have the brains to concoct a scheme like that."

He alleged that three weeks before his release, two prison officers put Mr. Strauss and Mr. Stevens in touch with him in return for a bribe.

He said he believed the pair were directors of ACE and agreed to act as their messenger because he was "desperate" for money.

He claimed to have been paid $1.5 million of a promised $3 million, but declined to give information about the whereabouts of Mr. Strauss and Mr. Stevens.

Roberts, who frequently delivered animated speeches during the trial, stared impassively ahead of him as Mr. Tokunbo found him guilty.

"He's an actor with a massive criminal imagination, who has studied and orchestrated this entire scheme while in prison ? probably using some knowledge of business personalities ? to effect a major crime," said the magistrate. "I find that Richard Strauss and Kenneth Stevens, if in fact they are businessmen, have no connection with this defendant and criminal scheme."

He added of Roberts: "He was a messenger alright. A messenger indeed ? but only to collect the proceeds of his own criminal script of players. Players of whom he was the actor."

Crown counsel Nicole Smith said Roberts committed the offence less than 24 hours after being released from Westgate. Describing him as a "calculated and persistent offender with no regard for the law" she revealed he had "a lengthy criminal history with a slew of offences of dishonesty." She asked that Mr. Tokunbo hand him the maximum punishment of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.

Roberts ? who was by now shouting ? said: "That's why they invented appeals. I will appeal and win."

Mr. Tokunbo told him: "I think you have some psychiatric problems and I'm going to order a psychiatric report before sentencing."He adjourned the case until December 28, remanding Roberts back into custody in the meantime.