A welfare officer appeared before High Court Master Cazabon on Monday where she was granted bail in the sum of $250,000, with a surety for obtaining money by false pretences.
Deborah Griffith was arrested and charged with:
• 18 counts of obtaining monies by false pretences;
• 18 counts of money laundering; and
• 17 counts of uttering a false document
She was also ordered to surrender her passport to the Registrar of the Supreme Court by Thursday. She was also ordered to report to a specified police station twice per month on a specific day. The matter has been adjourned to March 11, 2025.
Investigations revealed that Griffith allegedly obtained a loan of $146,530.44 to purchase a vehicle. However, she allegedly failed to acquire the vehicle and used the funds for unrelated purposes.
Further inquiries uncovered that between March 2014 and July 2015, Griffith allegedly submitted multiple fraudulent travel claims, pretending to have purchased and owned a vehicle to receive travelling benefits. The claims amounted to $36,611.30.
The investigation was spearheaded by Insp Francis and Sgt Toney, and conducted by Cpl Cummings, PC Khan, and PC Belfast.
The Fraud Squad warns members of the public that altering information to gain financial or other benefits is a serious criminal offence. Such actions can result in criminal liability and prosecution.
