Elvis Jones, the St Catherine businessman who made INTERPOL’s Red Notice for wanted persons and was deported from Panama last week, was on Friday acquitted of fraud-related charges.
Jones, a 52-year-old resident of Hellshire Avenue in Portmore, St Catherine, appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.
He was charged with two counts of fraudulent conversion, failing to issue receipt, and non-delivery of goods or service on contracted date, all in relation to two incidents that occurred in March and August of 2022.
They related to Jones’ alleged failure to import two motor vehicles from Japan to Jamaica on behalf of two individuals.
In court on Friday, Jones’ attorney denied that his client tried to defraud the complainants.
However, the attorney admitted that money was collected by his client from the complainants, but was converted to Jones’ personal use.
Jones made restitution to both complainants, which resulted in prosecutors offering no further evidence on all the charges against the then accused.
Reports from the police are that a man and a woman entered into separate agreements with Jones in March 2022 and August 2022, respectively, to have a 2016 Subaru Impreza motorcar and a 2013 Toyota Aphard minivan, respectively, imported from Japan.
The police said they made the agreed payments with promises that the vehicles would be delivered within four weeks.
A report was made to the police after the vehicles were not delivered as promised, and an investigation was launched.
The police said it was later discovered that Jones had allegedly fled the island, and he was subsequently placed on INTERPOL’s Red Notice for wanted persons.
The then accused was held in Panama and deported to Jamaica on April 13. He was charged two days later after a question-and-answer session in the presence of his attorney.
