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Policeman tells of ?very anxious? phone call from Isaac

A Police officer has described fielding an anxious phone call from Government fraudster Harrison Isaac Jr after his alleged accomplice was caught at the airport with $26,000 hidden in her underwear.

Detective Inspector Raphael Simons ? who was with the Financial Investigations Unit in 2004 ? said he received the call on March 19 of that year.

The jury has heard from other witnesses that the cash was seized from Teketa Thompkins as she arrived from the US two days before that. A Customs officer has told the court Thompkins described Isaac as her boyfriend when caught with the cash ? and claimed to be delivering it to him.

Det. Insp. Simons said he found Isaac to be ?very anxious? as he informed him that he didn?t know why the person had brought in the money, that he didn?t need it and ?that he wanted her out of the country as soon as possible?.

The detective arrested Thompkins at the US Immigration pre-clearance point at the airport the day after Isaac?s call, on suspicion of money laundering. He went on to arrest Isaac at the airport on April 15 2004 ? and later that day searched his apartment in Hamilton Parish and his luggage.

Describing the apartment the officer said: ?It was very messy. It appeared to me that Mr. Isaac was in the process of moving. There were boxes, banking records and clothing all over the floor.?Describing one of these bank statements, from a Bank of New York account, Det. Insp. Simons said it was torn in half and taped back together so several of the transactions were covered up. Secure ID cards were found in Isaac?s luggage and apartment, plus handwritten notes referring to Teketa Thompkins and her companies Simply Perfection and All Brand New.

The prosecution allege that Isaac sent cash looted from a Government bank account with the Bank of New York and sent it to Thompkins. She denies fraud charges. Her lawyer Paul Madden says she thought Isaac was the man of her dreams and had no idea the money her suitor sent her was stolen.

In answer to questions from Mr. Madden yesterday, Det. Insp. Simons confirmed the search of Isaac?s apartment recovered ?love letters from Harrison Isaac to Anita Foster?.

But he told the lawyer he did not recall recovering what Mr. Madden described as ?a Christmas tag to ?my baby love Raquel??.