Court acquits pump attendants in alleged credit card scam
Case faced frequent delays due to unavailable witnesses; complainant no longer wished to pursue matter
Published:Monday | September 22, 2025 | 12:06 AM
Five pump attendants implicated in a debit and credit card scam that defrauded customers of more than $1.1 million have been freed of fraud charges.
The women, who were initially charged with possession of identity information, simple larceny, and conspiracy to defraud, were formally cleared of all charges following a ruling by Senior Parish Judge Desiree Alleyne last Thursday, after the complainant opted to discontinue the case.
Latoya Walker, 37, Shavelle Whyte, 39, Onequea Morrison, 27, Ihesha Campbell, 25, and Teresa Douglas, 19, were employed as pump attendants and customer service representatives at a gas stations in St Catherine when the alleged fraudulent activities occurred. According to the prosecution, between October and December 2023, the women conducted several unauthorised transactions by entering the card information which was taken from unsuspecting customers.
The alleged total amount of fraudulent transactions was said to be over $1.1 million, which was reportedly discovered by the bank’s Fraud Prevention Unit after customers filed complaints about compromised accounts.
Following investigation, the accused were arrested and charged. However, the case has been delayed because of the unavailability of witnesses.
OBJECTIONS FROM DEFENCE
On September 1, the Crown requested another adjournment because of issues with securing witnesses. But this was met with objections from the defence.
Attorneys Javed Grant and Steven Powell both argue that there were too many postponements and submitted that the case should be dismissed for want of prosecution.
The defence also submitted that the wrong individuals had been brought before the court for these alleged offences.
Senior Parish Judge Alleyne, however, granted the adjournment but insisted that the Crown take all reasonable steps to secure the witnesses.
On Thursday when the case returned to court, the defence renewed its application for the matter to be dismissed. However the complainant informed the court that he no longer wished to proceed with the case, leading to the acquittal of all five women.
Grant represented Walker while Steven Powell represents Whyte and Campbell.