Prominent Jamaican attorney-at-law Jennifer Messado is scheduled to appear in a Jamaican court today, after being arrested late last Friday.
Messado, a real estate attorney, has been slapped with several charges by the police relating to property deals, forgery and money laundering.
Messado has been charged with four counts of forgery, two counts of uttering forged documents, conspiracy to defraud, causing money to be paid out by forged document and money laundering.
According to police report from Jamaica, on December 20, 2017, the accused prepared an Agreement of Sales for two parcels of land without the knowledge and consent of the owner.
It is alleged that Messado forged the signature of the trustee, stamp and letterhead of the owner of the properties to facilitate the fraudulent transaction and collected US$270,000 as down payment from the prospective purchaser.
These properties were reportedly put on sale for US$1.8 million.
Update (Tuesday, May 15, 2018): Jamaican attorney and co-accused granted bail
Prominent Jamaican real estate attorney Jennifer Massado and her co-accused Beverly Barakat, a real estate broker, were both granted bail when they appeared in a Corporate Area court on Tuesday.
Messado,. was arrested last Friday on charges of uttering forged documents, forgery, conspiracy to defraud, causing money to be paid out by forged document and money laundering.
In the St. Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday, parish judge Maxine Ellis granted Messado bail amounting to J$800,000 with conditions.
Barakat who was granted bail in the sum of J$50,000, was charged on Monday with conspiracy to defraud and forgery as well as operating a real estate brokerage firm without a license.
It is alleged that she conspired with Messado in the illegal transfer of a property.
The two women are to return to court on July 3.
