FID warns defaulters to pay back money when ordered by court

KINGSTON, Jamaica —The Financial Investigations Division (FID) is reminding individuals that failure to pay back money under Pecuniary Penalty Orders (PPOs) is a serious criminal offence that can result in jail time.

The warning follows the case of Jason Kameka, who was sentenced on June 18 to three years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including failure to pay a PPO.

PPO’s are court-mandated obligations placed upon those convicted of certain crimes to repay the financial benefit they derived from such criminal conduct.

The case stemmed from a financial investigation led by the Constabulary Financial Unit (CFU), which began in September 2022 following allegations of a £51,000 cryptocurrency-related investment fraud against a complainant in the United Kingdom.

Between August 16 and October 6, 2021 the money was transferred in several instalments to an account linked to Kameka, with the complainant believing the funds were being placed in a legitimate investment opportunity.

Police confirmed that the funds were received, withdrawn, and moved to third parties. Checks with the Financial Services Commission further confirmed that Kameka was not licensed to operate as an investment advisor or securities dealer in Jamaica.

Cops then found that he had prior fraud convictions and was already subject to a 2020 Pecuniary Penalty Order in the sum of $18,106,176.97 which he had not paid.

Kameka was charged with obtaining money by false pretences, engaging in transactions involving criminal property and acting as an unlicensed investment agent. He was also charged with the additional offence of failure to pay the PPO.

He was sentenced to one year and five months for obtaining money by false pretences; three years and six months for breaches of Section 93 of POCA; 11 months for acting as an unlicensed investment agent, and three years and six months for failure to pay the Pecuniary Penalty Order.

Sentences will run concurrently.

Commenting on the outcome, FID Chief Technical Director Dennis Chung said the sentence reinforces that court orders carry real consequences.

“A Pecuniary Penalty Order is not optional. It is a binding order of the court, made after a determination that a person has benefited from criminal conduct. This sentence reinforces the point that persons cannot simply ignore those obligations and expect there to be no consequence.

“The FID will continue to take lawful steps to enforce compliance with PPOs and to support the wider principle that crime must not pay…”, he argued.

Importantly, he noted, a conviction for failing to pay a PPO does not extinguish the underlying debt — the FID remains empowered to pursue enforcement action against any future assets acquired by the convicted person. Where genuine financial difficulty arises, affected individuals are advised to seek relief through the court rather than ignore the obligation.