Elderly Couple Facing Over 100 Charges Combined for Alleged Land Sale Scam
By Zaya Williams
An elderly woman named Esmeralda Martin is facing over 70 charges for her alleged involvement in a fraudulent land sale, where she is accused of selling a piece of land that did not belong to her.
Her husband, Elridge ‘Jury’ Martin, is also facing 30 charges related to the same incident.
It is said that between May 1, 2015, and December 20, 2020, the complainant paid monies to the accused in installments to the tune of $55,490 towards the purchase of a piece of land in Liberta.
On April 12 ,2023, the complainant reported that after paying for a parcel of land that was being sold by Elridge on social media and making payments to both him and his wife at their home she tried several times to obtain the deed and title without success.
She reported that she did her own investigation and found out that the land does not belong to the couple.
As a result, she is said to have contacted the police and informed them that she said that she and her daughter went to the home of the couple and made 136 payments for which they received receipts.
Further reports indicate that a search warrant was executed at the home of the elderly couple for the receipt book on June 4,2023 and several books were reportedly found.
Elridge Martin was the first to appear in court in early June, where he faced the suspended Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh and was granted bail pending further legal proceedings.
Now, Esmeralda has made her first court appearance before Magistrate Dexter Wason after being more recently charged in connection with the scam. She was also granted bail.
This story was first published by Antigua News on : antigua.news/2023/08/01/elderly-couple-facing-over-100-charges-combined-for-alleged-land-sale-scam. © 2023 Antigua News. Republication without permission is not allowed.
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