White collar thief gets 7.5 yrs
(CNS): A 57-year-old South African national who stole over US$846,000 from a local legal firm was handed a seven and a half year sentence on Friday by visiting judge, Justice Malcolm Swift. Michael Levitt, who was described as a "sophisticated and calculating criminal", admitted seven counts of theft and related crimes in connection with more than 80 fraudulent transactions from the accounts of Solomon Harris, where he was employed as the financial controller. Michael Snape, who prosecuted the case for the crown, said the crime was a serious "campaign of offending" by someone in a position of trust, aggravating thecircumstances.
The court heard that Levitt had two previous convictions in his native South Africa, where he was imprisoned on a seven year sentence for fraud, and in Canada, where he was also convicted of white collar theft.
The serial offender concealed his background from the local authorities when he first came to work in Cayman on an emergency permit in the wake of Hurricane Ivan in October 2004. He worked for various companies before he joined Solomon Harris after meeting one of the partners via the local service club, Rotary, where he served as president for the Sunrise branch. Levitt continued to conceal his past and just a year or so after he started work he began systematically stealing small amounts.
Levitt turned to crime in Cayman, according to his defense attorney, Ben Tonner, because he was disgruntled over what he felt was a lack of financial reward from his employers, despite his hard work, and to fund his lifestyle as he attempted "to live the Cayman dream".
The court heard that he used the stolen funds to help with the purchase of his house, including paying various bills as well as the stamp duty and to furnish and decorate the home. He paid off his car loan and other bills, as he tried to live a life he could not afford.
The judge was told about a series of voluntary work and good deeds that Levitt had been involve with since coming to the islands, from mentoring young people on the BBBS programme to helping out at the elderly residents facility, The Pines. However, the judge remained unmoved by such alleged chartable work, as he said that Levitt's volunteering was "hypocrisy", as it was merely a tool to get a job where he was able to steal the money.
Justice Swift listed a number of aggravating factors in the case, in particular the motivation of greed, since the defendant was not in dire circumstances. He also emphasized the risk to the reputation of his employer and the risk to the very heart and "life blood of the Cayman Islands", as the offences impacted the local financial services sector, and the potential for an even wider impact on the economy in general.
The judge said that Levitt's offending was "systematic and prolonged". Dismissing explanations regarding his previous convictions, the judge said he was a person who made excuses for his criminal conduct and that the case was a very serious breach of trust.
Referring to legal authorities, comparative cases and the sentencing guidelines, Justice Swift started his sentence at eight years based on the amount stolen. However the judge pushed that to the maximum penalty for theft, which is ten years, before he gave Levitt a 25% discount for his guilty plea and arrived at seven and a half years for each of the counts to runconcurrently.
The court adjourned the confiscation hearing for three months to allow the crown to attempt to investigate what assets, if any, Levitt still has, as so far only around $200,000 of the stolen cash has been returned.
Category: Crime
A rotten egg may create a smell and you may wrinkle your nose, but the rest of the batch isn't ruined. Those remaining eggs are still good despite that one, bad egg.
We teach at our "higher education" schools that image is everything. Whay should we be surprised that scammers like this are able to steal without detection. Its imbeded in the culture.
What the hell does Cayman's education system and culture have to do with this case?! The man is South African who also lived in Canada. He was not educated here nor is he from here.
The UK wants us to allow these scumbags in our country, by giving them rights under our Immigration Law. So, if that be the case the UK should give us some FREE TOOLS paid for by them to ensure that we are not importing criminals from other countries. This man sure fooled a hell of a lot of people. But I am glad he was an expat who did it, and it is so amazing to see how little input the expat community has to say about this. They are all hush, hush because it has to do with one of their own. But the minute a Caymanian does something wrong they chew them to pieces an spit the out on this blog!
Him is a briliant criminal mi tell ya! Watch d education gettin 'upped' in Nortward now!
I bet you he could'nt try that rass in Jamaica.
Because we know that Jamaica is free of white collar criminals, right?
Dear Editor,
As a member of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman it would be an understatement to say I was annoyed and angry over theses acts of criminality. However, the poisonous and vitriolic statements, made under the cloak of anonymity, against a world-wide charity organisation and its membership makes me wonder at the lack of honour and justice shown by the majority of your commentators on this case.
What was missing from their development and were they nurtured on a diet of lemons.
And as for being a club for 'Antiquated gentlemen' as posted earlier, I thank that writer for terming me a gentleman but as for antiquated I challenge him/her to compete against me when I run the Cayman Marathon again on the 1st December. Put your money where your mouth is. All proceeds to charity.
Because many of you continue to rally around these criminals including Mr Levitt who still enjoys the support of some of Rotarys membership. Sad but true. It is a lie to say that you were 'annoyed and angry over the acts of criminality' I was visting your club and saw just exactly how you reacted (and you know it!). Rotary in Cayman has changed for the worse and we all know it. It is disheartening. The old guard who were there (and who were gentlemen) and who enjoyed the public confidence has passed away or have retired and are now replaced by selfserving members. Sue Nicolson and her husband, both of whom are in your club also continue to enjoy the same support whether out ofniavete or otherwise. Rotary is a great organisation but those in Cayman speak for themselves by their own deeds and give little credit to the organisation. Hopefully, eventually this will change for the better. i continue to support rotary but i am also aware of where it is today in Cayman.
Derek well said. These assinine retentives shoot from the hip. I remember going to one of your meetings to see not just ex-pats but a lot of young enthusiatic Caymanians. I for one are proud to know the likes of Stephanie Foster, the daughter of the late and past president of your club, David Foster., Harry McCoy, Bill McTaggart, Sonnyboy etc.. It is a sad day in the Cayman Islands when Rotary takes flack from residents who hide under the name of anonymous. Please keep running for Rotary and help the local poor. If you are still doing Meals on Wheels god bless you. You are a true star.
“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”
― Gloria Steinem
If you give him too much work to do in the sun will only make him loose a whole lot of weight and which will allow him to be more elusive. Just look at his size now, and he got away with so many crimes. Just imagine what he would do if he is smaller. He would be so slippery that he would turn Northward upside down. Just please, be careful what you are asking for. The guy is a genius.
You mean "lose" some weight.
I read all of the comments on the first page and didnt bother going on to the second page.
I am amazed that no one else has questioned, as I wish to, HOW ON EARTH did Solomon Harris not notice $846,000 was stolen from them?
Yes this man was the financial controller, but in my company we have a chief financial officer as well as external auditors. Our firm is engages external auditors once a year and they do spot checks across all departments, all policies, internal and external, requesting all sorts of backup documents and support etc for internal/external wires, deposits, withdrawals etc.
Ok, so maybe if Solomon Harris had hired external auditors this man would have received their report and perhaps he could have altered it as well, but as many fradulent transactions that he handled, I am pretty sure it would have come to light,
I cant imagine the partners all being complacent about not getting cushy bonuses and thought maybe someone would have complained…..
I really just do not see how an employer cannot notice $846,000 being stolen from them if they had proper checks and balances in place!!!! And I though the same darn thing when XXXX stole all that money from ScotiaBank. Doesnt the darn bank have regular audits done? Either these criminals are brilliant and should have found their way to Wall Street to do some high class embezzling or these institutions they worked for have some real shoddy accounting practices and checks/balances in place!
Wake up call to ALL companies!!!
i suppose you could say the same about the Pines etc but how appropriate this is to blame the victim for the crime, particularly when we dont know the facts of how the crime was done or even if they were audited.
Yes but evidently he did the same with the AG in Canada taking him down over a million. So that goes to tell you who are dealing with (or more precisely Solomon Harris was dealing with). Guess that's why the judge called him a sophisticated criminal.
Lol! Now I know why so many businesses push it under the carpet and chose not to prosecute.
So now imprisoned a third time for stealing, once in SA, then in Can, now in Cayman. No matter where he goes he will surely steal again.
What about the responsibilities of all the HRManagers, isn't it their responsibility to make sure people with criminal records are not processed? I think it's high time they stop bringing any old scum into Cayman just to avoid hiring Caymanians. DA WA U GAT!
Deport him and declare him persona non grata.
"Expat Privilege"??
All things considered and with more of these cases coming to light – would it be wrong and politically incorrect to describe what is happening in Cayman as such?
I know I as a Caymanian would NEVER be able to achieve such high-rewarded levels of deceit in the Cayman Islands – not that I would want to , just saying. Quite a worrying reality actually, with many, many negative implications.
(*Let it be understood that even if this is the case, Caymanians have only themselves to blame. I am not throwing any shade at any of our expats. If you happen to be a slimey one and can beat the system – then by all means, do your thing, bad boy!)
Look at him just another bigshot in Rotary Mi nah have no friend innah high society Mi need no friends to mark my identity! I can remember the days when immigration had real law enforcement officers who worked hand in hand with their enforcement unit and the Cayman protection board to do the necessary due dilligence on all who seek to work and live on these shores but along came the wisemen from afar with their so called modernization program creating jobs and opportunity for friends and countrymen. doing away with all things local and working replacing them with fancy names and titles riding on other people success and hardwork even using it to get themselves higher paying jobs and in high society. The same society now inundated with fraudsters conmen and violent offenders and even wanted fugitives. Aaah Cayman for the want or lack of wisdom and real men our people shall surely perish? JIU & NSC more commissions and anticorruption units than Quakers has Oats are but few of these fancy names but the big question question is are we in any safer Cayman?
Arrived here got landed for a day, go into town next morning,
get an extension to your original 1 day visit and remain here for years.
Happens all the time with all nationalities. Suckers are we, so kindhearted that we are considered fo fo }}}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{{{{{{{
Us J'can's have a saying quite fitting for this man "him woulda tief milk outta coffee"
i met him once or twice. I found him to be very condescending and weasel-like. had a really bad feeling about him. Just anothe opportunistic rat!!
Living theCayman Dream eh? I have been working from I got out of high school and have not reach the "Cayman Dream" whatever that is. I guess mine is raising my children well, well fed, getting them educated, and a roof over our heads Can still hold my head high!!
He will next try to live the American dream after 7.5 years at our 5 star hotel in Northward. You guys realize that after spending any considerable time in a South African prison Northward will surely be a cakewalk for him. He will be out and stealing again in no time.
Couldn't agree with you more. This is def how the big jobs on this island get placed. As well as promotions within a firm. Friends of friends at high places … of which I have none.
He is a really good faker. I used to work with him, and he had me fooled. He was personable, and likeable. He told me that he was Canadian, just another lie I guess. Just goes to show that our criteria for excepting people into our fold is flawed. Why is it that our residency law so heavily favours extroverts and joiners? So many of them have proven disingenuous.
I did work for him…..he told me he was from South Africa
Solid conviction. Good work to all involved. After his time in HMP he should be on the next flight out!
Only because he pled guilty!
I suppose a defense attorney's job is to defend the actions of his client – but the defense of "to fund his lifestyle as he attempted to live the Cayman dream" ??? That one beats all.
Quick Google search.. This on the first page; http://mg.co.za/article/1999-04-09-canadian-extradition-drama
But the name Mike or Michael Levitt is about as popular as Ebanks or Bush. And this article says he is a Canadian national. So If I were to take a guess, that's not him.
That's the same person.
Oh. He was LYING… That's what con artists do. He was good at it, eh!
The more you read the more you realize that yes, that is the same person.
Thanks
The google search results now bring up all his previous convictions as a top story because everyone that's ever met Mike Levitt has been searching his name on Google. The criminal kept his name clean on google doing community works so the fraud conviction(s) wouldn't show up in any of the first 200 pages of results.
To this I say F U Mike Levitt.
Trust me, it IS the same man.
He emigrated to Canada in around 1989 and there committed fraud against the Attorney General of Ontario. He then raced back to South Africa because there was no extradition treaty with Canada at the time. By 1995 he had committed fraud again in South Africa. While he was in prison in South Africa (from 1999 – 2002) his case in Canada was heard in absentia and he was fined.
Apparently, he still has his Canadian passport (and therefore a Canadian National). In South Africa, AFTER getting out of prison, he committed life insurance fraud (which it seems the judge is not aware of), faked his death, skipped parole and went to France. Once he was found out, he fled to Israel and a year later to Cayman (2004)
Have we requested for extradition of the Pines Manager yet? As usual, nothing is going to come of it whilst she sips her tea and enjoys her fancy mansion off our donated money. Funny how we bend the rules for who we wish to bend them for?
I met this greasy little man shortly after his arrival. He was awkward and uncooperative and a obvious axxhxle. How these people get into the island is beyond me. He's a serial thief and after his 3 years served with time deducted for good behaviour will move to Costa Rica with the rest of the uncovered funds.
The onus is on the employer to check the background of someone they are wishing to employ. It appears obvious that none of this man's several employers did that. We cannot expect the government department issuing a GOL to check the background details on EVERY person.
Yes you can expect that of Government. That's what every immigration department in the world is responsible to do. Having said that, the Firm did due diligence and submitted it to the Courts including his accounting certificates from south africa Levitt was described as sophisticated criminal for a reason. Compass has interesting report of what happened in court including Levitt being Rotarian of the year. Peace and love.
Same thing happened with the former UCCI president, one of the biggest thieves and fraudsters in Cayman history, using the company credit card to splurge on jewelry for young girlfriends and maintain a expensive lifestyle. I wonder if they recovered any of the gifts from the young lady?
No one asked questions because he was a foreigner. Could have never happened to a Caymanian, not because a Caymanian would not commit fraud but because they would have dug deep deep into thier past. Seems like we trust outsiders more than our Caymanians.
Its in everyones interest that Government check into the background of expatriatescoming here to work. To me, this was a minor incident, sure it was a low down dirty thing to steal money but imagine if it was a international terrorist, war criminal or some body like that.
Reputational damage to the islands image as a financial leader and all that. We still trying to get past the image of the movie THE FIRM for petes sake, much less for these things to happen every week seems like.
And I bet he has the money stashed somewhere. Keep our eyes on this one. Although he is wanted other places.I say make him rub his time then extradite him to Canada and then South Africa so he can serve his sentences there as well.
If he was a Jamaican, the Immigration department would have processed and hadled his papers differently.
And we know that because Jamaicans are so well screened that none of them are ever convicted of white collar crimes. But wait…
Poor Michael. Just that he never spoke much but was very busy handling money and monetary donations. I am very worried about him going to Northward. Our boys up there will be released with an 'A' for white collar crime.
Deportation order?
Why blame immigration? surely the onus is on the employer?
I know that the company I work for employs professional firms to perform thorough criminal, credit and education checks all the way back to high school for every single person they hire no matter from which country they are hired – including Cayman.
They must also take a random drug test.
Although I'm aware that every system can be scammed at least it is a start.
Funny thing about Cayman though "the truth will out" and "time longer than rope". He certainly isnt' the first and he sure as hell won't be the last!
This is farting rediculous….. A Bodden Town young man gets 10 years for throwing away a rusty pistol that did not work, and this thief cets 7.5 years.There are people serving more time in Northward for possession of ganja worth 10% of what this thief stole; all the while paradeing around like a respectible citizen. Pure BS
You are so right. 10 years is not enough for the gun crime.
Deceived our immigration? Oh, say its not true! How many more do we have here?
It's sad..but growing up on this small has its benefits, and seeing so many Con Artist come here it makes it easy to spot them now. We see them come in Full Suits..we see them come with a Bible under their arm. We also have them that come here ..throw some money around like big shots to watch our people scrabble like dogs to lap up. They come in all shapes and sizes.
With so many unemployed Caymanians now this sort of news makes one think..7.5 years..for how much $$?? Now we all know that the average Caymanian would have to work a lifetime to get that sort of cash, and right now with times the way it is..Makes one stop to think..7.5 years aint that long to sit down and read a few good books… Cayman Government..Try Wake Up!! and look out for your people. Remember, when it is all said and done. We the people..the son's and daughter's of the soil will remain.
This is nothing. The real con artists will show up the moment we legalize gambling.
At least many hundreds, possibly thousands. It is estimated by some that at least a third of all immigration applications are fraudulent in some way with no real penalty arising even when the lies are detected. These range from failing to disclose Caymanian applicants and misdescribing jobs to dissuade locals, to keeping prior connections and drug habits secret, or not maintaining pensions and health insurance.
Our systems have collapsed under corruption, arrogance and incompetence. The Caymanian people are seriously pissed, and have very right to be!
Wha a mess up!
I wonder if UCCI can provide a course to employers and Immigration on how to conduct google searches and network with Interpol?
Oh $h!t…UCCI got duped too though.
How is it that in the year 2013 a criminal foreign national can be here for so many years and no employer nor Immigration (re-newals of permits eh) can find his criminal record….but a local teen caught with a marijuana cigarette finds him/herself so much difficulty?
And the astrociously low convictions and jail time for difilement of a minor is something our highly paid law makers seemingly refuse to address??
Tings nah well Bobo!
As a South African living on this beautiful island, I am horrified by this news. Just horrified. I am appalled any individual who carries outcrimes such as these, but to disguise himself as a "charitable heart" aswell is sickening. Send him home to jail there.
Yes send him home to SA to do his time if he will be sent to Robbin Islands but unfortunately that prison is no longer operational. He needs to go to one of those real prisons in Mexico, Honduras or another CA country or somewhere else in Africa. We don't need to let him remain her for one more day at our expense. He has gotten and taken enough from this country and he does not deserve to get even the free air that he will breath in Cayman any longer. I am very angry that my tax dollar will have to fund his stay at Northward at almost CI$55,000 per year or maybe more while our children and our elderly get less. Government needs to change the law to state that every expat who is sent to prision in Caymanshould be the expense of their employer, who must cover the full cost to government. We need to increase the repatriation fee to an amount to cover the cost of a first class one way ticket to their country of origin.
Maybe not 35 years ago when we had better immigration controls but since 2004 our immigration department is in need of major changes. Similiar to what the USA did after 911.
Why should South Africa be responsible for his incarceration? It was the incompetence of Immigration officials and the naivete of trusting private individuals here in these islands that allowed this to happen.
Swift Justice, I suppose. Now put this man to work teaching inmates proper accounting and other skills and qualifications he may have. He should partially earn his keep at The Grand HMS…. Wait, on second thought, no. Let him do manual labour. His past shows he’s a thief who would steal the very white off your collar if given the opportunity. Another observation I’ve noticed, the Rotary lately has been churning out (to the Courts) some opportunistic “high society” members. Just goes to show what this antiquated gentleman’s club was started for, to benefit the already wealthy and those that seek to brown nose their way to the top and try to become wealthy etc. Correct me if I’m wrong please. Just look at his tie colour and oh, that smile.
You obvioulsy know nothing about Rotary.
He may have accounting skills but he is also skilled in committing fraud so it will be that blue colllar criminals will learn white collar crime as well. He should be sentenced to do hard labour by working in a chain gang on a job site. Those of his ilk come here and join those clubs in order to disguise their dirty deeds in pretense they are helping the community.
May I suggest that you find a member of any local service club and attend one of their meetings as their guest to see that they are far from antiquated gentleman's clubs.
Their achievements, not only locally but globally are outstanding. Take for example the virtual eradication of Polio worlwide. Investment in our youth. The list is endless.
You will see that these clubs are filled with young and not so young, men and women who give unselfishly of their time , expertise and money.
Unfortunately you have allowed a cuuple of bad apples to taint your opinion.
I was a member of a service club and watched in disgust as what can only be described as amongst the vilest of characters were able to gain admission as a means of gaining PR points and masking their true character. You are right about one thing though – they can no longer be described as clubs filled with Gentlemen. They are becomming somewhat of a rarity.
It is sad. The few "bad apples" are more numerous than suggested.
Thank you for replying. I could not be bothered after reading Rotarian’s reply which to me read like a brochure on why to join his club. While I’m sure they do good deeds, I for one don’t believe it’s for the greater good of society in anyway shape or form. There’s also a catch for personal gain. I say this as I’ve been there, wasn’tfor me, so I left. 20+ years since and I don’t regret it one bit. I do and give as needed without any fanfare of the matter. Because it’s the right thing to do, sometimes people need help and you can do so without needing to join any club in my humble opinion.
Mr Justice. As you say Rotary was not for you. I think you mean you were not for Rotary. Where did you go wrong? You remark that it is not for the greater need of society. What kind of ludicrous remark is that? You may contribute to society with you money and you do sound like a knife and fork member in the club that you joined. Obviously your sponsor failed to recognize your true attributes.
For your edification many Rotary projects, similarly to those of service clubs require hands on assistance rather than your money. Did you ever use a paint brush on the Pines or a shovel planting trees on Cardinal Avenue or Bonaventure Boys Home, or help out at the Xmas Tree lighting or the senior citizens party? Have you ever worked on Meals on Wheels. No you obviously did not. Too much hard work I guess.
To indicate that service clubs do not contribute to society Is your failing. By all means contribute with your cash, pity you cannot bring yourself to work with your hands. It is a sad day for you and now I understand the reason for your being anonymous.
Chris, you’d be surprised. Next time I might just bump my shoulder with yours when we’re side by side, planting some hibiscus’ or such. And as for the other manual, hard work you mentioned, I suppose you, of all people, know that the materials don’t pay for themselves, even with donations. And it’s “greater good”, not need. You go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done if need be, just don’t count on everyone falling for all things Rotary being good, great and criticism free. See you on the greens, old chap!
He might teach them how to become better con artists.
CNS can you advise whether Levitt would be eligible for permanent residency when he serve his term? I note the judge did not recommend deportation? If not, why not? Let him go live his cayman dream in Syria!
A scum bag white collar foreign criminal like him must be deported oce he serves his setence. We do not need persons like him in Cayman
Who got six months for rape? i know someone just got six months for indecent assault , the victim was only eight years old he should have got 25 years, someone can get charged for indecent assault for just touching the wrong way , rape is another case. as for Michael llevitt he came here after hurricane Ivan and worked for the Westin before moving on to where he could steal the big bucks
It just goes to show how many of these fake people are amongst us and are involved in these various service clubs. I ask immigration how many rapist, pediphilies, murderers and thieves amongst us? Where are the balance and checks?
Justice Swift thank God you were not influenced by external parties to encourage leniency. I just hope the local judges learn from you – best decision in a long time.
Most join the service clubs to gain points for status/PR and when the process of collecting points is over, most of them are no longer an club member. It is hypocrisy to tie status/PR to the point system. We are only breeding criminals. Check their backgrounds and our mouths would never close. When they commit crimes their belonger status should be rescinded.
This should be included in the Immigration law. How will it work for the dishonest people.
What you suggest is in our law. It is simply never followed.
Having been a Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman for thirty five years I can assure you that I know of no one during that period of time, who has abused the system by becoming a Rotarian with the sole purpose of obtaining stays or PR. Your comment is just not true.
Your head is buried in the sand, Chris. Having gained PR a number of them, some of them highly regarded professionals promptly quit their involvement in Rotary. You want names?
Mr Anonymous I find it ironic that you do not have the balls to name your own name in your boring article but you are willing to mention names of those who you are accusing of abusing the law. Well Mr Anonymous, name names and then you can consult your own lawyer to avoid a libel suit. Hallo, anyone at home. Buried in the sand my head is not. For further edification see the excellent response on the matter from Past President Derek Haines.
Mr. Johnson I know you personally for many years, and I found you to be a trust worthy person, but in truth and fact your club needs some overhauling when it comes to the membership. The mere fact that these social clubs use their influence to change many aspects of our government through there membership and the 'good ole boys club' mentality imposed on us and we have no alternative but to accept it and move on. I know of a Rotary member right now in Govt. who is not doing their job and telling lies to save their own backside, and every meeting they are front row and centre, getting pats on the back for job well done. BULLSHIT! So, as you say there has not been any one who has abused the system by becoming a Rotarian, but they sure as hell has allowed being a Rotarian to abuse the system!!
XXXX
I named one for you Mr. Johnson!!
CNS: Sorry, without knowing the outcome (was he convicted?), I can't publish that.
You can't blame them for joining these service clubs etc. The damn Immigration Law ask them to do so in order to gain points and recognition to pave the way for them to get one or the other, so blame the law makers for setting the standards!
Gotta love the way Immigration accepts police clearances from anywhere as proof that someone is of good character.
Two Points
1. We need to stop being so trusting and properly screen people who would like to come here. Don't go by word of mouth from the person seeking employment! Don't be so taken in by how a person looks and speaks. A simple background check on Google pulls up the Canadian case of this man. No cost!!!
2. Deport him after he has served his sentence.
3. Fire anyone who would allow him re-entry.
An impact statement was mentioned by the prosecutor in which the firm provided its due diligence which it secured at the time of his employment Apparently Levitt produced practicing certificates as an accountant from SA which were kept current notwithstanding his 7 year prisonsentence in SA. It is also interesting to note that Levitt produced 5 written character references to the judge whilst in Court! He’s good but Swift was better. The judge also briefly mentioned the fraud in Canada was money stolen from the Canadian Governments witness protection program (the Attorney Generals office) proving Levitt is a serious criminal.
You made three points…
Bring in the finger printing system & have it network!
It just boggles my mind that so many people are able to just come to Cayman and manage to hide prior convictions, make up qualifications etcetera. With the amount of technology available today, how could this person just hide their convictions, did he have a different name in the other country? Personnaly I feel it is because Caymanians are 1. Too trusting and 2. If a white person comes here and they have an accent, they can sell Caymanians sand in a bottle. When others from other countries apply for a job, they want everything,from your grandmother's certificate. They check and re-check your references, they call the University to confirm that you attended and was conferred with the degree you say you have, they call previous employers and inquire consistently about the type of person you are, the quality of work you do, they confirm what qualifications you claimed to have when you worked there but a white person applies for a job and they are simply taken at their word. Amazing! Poor Rotary, their name is being tarnished so badly, this is the second person associated with that organization that is also a thief or being accused of being one.
These are the Cayman Islands my friend! Our leaders constantly speak of the elephant in the room. What they should be talking about is the "Elephant in Government". This creature is one that needs all of their attention immediately! It's a system that for far too long has allowed unqualified persons to be promoted to positions for which they are totally unprepared. Some may say, it is that point when one has reached THEIR LEVEL OF INCOMPETENCE!
This has continued for so many decades that it is now at a point where a lot if not most of those persons in supervisory and/or managerial positions within Government are without real job skills and background knowledge, thus unable to do their job efficiently. And so we find ourselves in situations such as this one, where people entering the Island are not properly checked before being allowed to enter our Island on a work permit. And I"ll venture to say that there are likely hundreds more presently on Island with similar backgrounds as this man.
To avoid this kind of ineptitude "we must" make it mandatory that any person who is considered for promotion to any position of such importance, as that of border control, MUST be properly trained and serve a mandatory apprenticeship under a qualified person for a certain period of time after which they will be tested. If they pass the test they're in. If not, they must work a bit harder.
I've said all of the above to say this, we are seriously lacking in properly trained personnel in many sectors of government. And border control "in my opinion" is one of the MOST IMPORTANT .
He will be missing those meetings for some time or he may charter a new Club at Northward!?
HMQ Rotary Club Northward, fair to all concerned and really beneficial!?? ohhhhhh Boy what a day!
Yes and just how he got here with out the necessary background checks will go uninvestigated. like many who land on these shores making up their own affidavit certifying no conviction suffices, whilst locals had to produce a police record. Tek Wood! who says crime don't pay it pay qite well in the Cayman Islands.
AS a South African national he would have had to provide a police clearance, not an affadavit (that only applies to UK Nationals who were resident in the UK before they came here).
Maybe it's also worth pointing out that BOTH CaymanImmigration AND the company that took him on into a position of trust, should have taken up his references.
That being said, without knowing his full history and timetable, it's hard to say whether further checks would have made any difference, as some countries consider some types of conviction as "spent" after 10 years and so would not report them on a police reference
Nothing is however ever spent when required by our immigration authorities and must be disclosed.
True, but then a confidence trickster/ fraudster (or indeed anyone else convicted of a serious offence) is hardly likely to own up to a old conviction when they can get a police reference that says he or she is clean. You can't rely on a liar to be honest
Immigration epic fail again….SMDH…..Everyone else here on a work permit has to provide references and a criminal record. What ever happened to background checks. I guess we can thank Mac for this scum even being here. Its ironic that even if you are a criminal you can have a clean record because it means you simply have not got caught yet but this man has a rap sheet how the hell did he slip through the Immig. crack? Time to finger print everyone in these islands and others as they enter, Caymanians included, so we have a data base and can check with Interpol to see if any of our "visitors" or residents have had run-ins with the law elsewhere before they get jobs and apply for residency. Sell off his house and car to recoup some funds and deport his greedy a$$ on a one way ticket funded from S. Africa when his time is up,..Please don't grant him residency or status for God's sake.
How can residency or status be granted when he is in jail and a convicted criminal..? But then, guess anything can happen here.
There are many more people like him in Cayman. The immigration Dept. and RCIPS need to conduct more comprehensive checks on the people that are working in the Cayman Islands.
There are plenty of criminals, native and foreign in every country. That is the fact. However no person should be respected or trusted until they have earned it.
Out/foxed/numbered by yet another of the 2004 good people who came here to…. oh well we all now know the drift and dribble… chickens coming home to roost. Status grants by name added to a list without criminal checks and anyone admitted on island without the proper screening after "Ivan". 2004 as a bad time in the history of Cayman all around it changed forever and not for the better. God help us all and please send us a Joshua that will lead us with wisdom and courage someone who is not afraid to make the hard calls and not fall away when things get difficult.
Wake up Cayman!!! The Private Sector, with all of its obvious prejudice against the advancement of Caymanians and locals in our work force, has reaped what it has sown. He should have stolen more!! It is obvious that there were no valid background checks and/or character references done on this individual who was a convicted criminal several times over; and worse for the SAME offence…… dishonesty!! Three times , three different countries!
How can it be that a foriegn national, with a criminal record, can obtain such a well paid job, over and over with a criminal conviction which direct;ly affects the vocation; AND a work permit to boot .When it is locally acceoted and proven that a Caymanian with a conviction for a joint of marijuana can't even get a job in their own Country due to victimization from the stigma of such a criminal conviction. The entire Immigration Policy needs to be revamped NOW; not in part but ENTIRLEY! We must quickly accept that this new Immigration Policy must be tied to the needs of the Department of Labour and should do away with all victimization of our own people.
Once a man has gone to prison and served his time for an offence committed against the people of this nation, he has paid his debt and it is no longer equitable to continue to hold his conviction against him. Particularly when the offence is not directly related to the job he now seeks so as to have no negative effect on his performance.
This is wrong! Moreso if the Offender was contrite when convicted and actually accepted responsibility and his pennance for the wrong doing. Such hypocrisy in our day to day living has cause many social ills which are only now festering. The time for change is now!!
E-N-T-I-R-E-L-Y
You are right. How could he get a job in his vocation after being convicted many times?! seemsthe firm provided proof to Court in its impact statement that Levitt had valid accounting certificates in SOuth Africa, (notwithstanding his conviction in South Africa) at the time of employment and i understand he was member of local CPA. Perhaps it's time to look at whether we should employ from these jurisdictions.
Don't worry, after he serves his time here in prison, he will leave for another jurisdiction that worships white foreigners and commit the same offense all over again.
And they say we Caymanians have an entitlement mentality! This man truly felt that he was not fairly compensated for his job as a financial controller at a law firm??? We all know his annual salary was pretty close to the 6 figure range if not was in the 6 figure range and it still was not enough. He obviously lied about his police record and again immigration failed to do it's job. I'm quite sure that there are a few more like him wandering around Cayman withtheir international criminal records and exploiting, sorry I mean "networking" local community clubs to cover their dirts and by-pass the job interview process. Ha. Next time, I hope the owner of the law firm learns to give her own Caymanians a chance. Better the devil you know than the one you don't.
LOL 'close' to the 6 figure range? Such naïveté is so endearing.
16:46, I am not backing anyone when I say that a Caymanian, Jamaican, Phillipino, or any other nationality could have been this person, it happens and is happening they just haven’t been caught yet. There clearly were no red flags at the outset. You can’t expected to do the kind of digging it would have taken to find out his background for every single applicant for employment, it would be worse than an FOI request. The employer was given the necessary paperwork and it all checked out so he was hired. Who knows if he was ushered in to the job or not because of the Rotary connection. He might have been the most suitable applicant. The point is anyone with a serious drug problem will do what it takes for them to get their fix and he clearly had a problem going into the job which he could not support. Lessons learned from both sides? He needs counselling and then needs to go home. The employer needs to realise that buddies can be your worst enemy. Good luck to the next person, talk about a nerve racking interview process for that job.
You make a number of valid points. One point I know tbough is this firm has a majority Caymanians in employment, many started at bottom and worked their way up. If Levitt was able to he would have left all them unemployed (and by Gods grace he couldn't/didn't ) for his own greed.
I am interested in how he "concealed" his past – fake police certificate?
As a work permit holder he would have needed and recieved a locally issued police clearance certificate everytime he applied for a renewal or changed jobs.
The last jurisdiction he lived in no doubt had similar rigorous screening as our own RCIP.
he got in after Ivan when you didn't need a police clearance cert – as for his renewal as he was here already he didn't need one
He not from here of course. Has any Caymanian white collar thief ever got that long a custodial sentence?
Can you name any Caymanian white collar criminal who has stolen in a similar amount in similar circumstances? I thought not.
Yes I can, 16:02 but CNS would not publish the name. And he bought himself out of prosecution.
In other words, (1) we have no way of verifying your story, and (2) there is no question ofa Caymanian being convicted in similar circumstances and receiving a significantly lower sentence. That was the point. BTW many expats are let off the hook as well. Witness the foreign guest of Ritz who recently apparently attempted to abscond without paying his bill.
How did the Immigration Department miss the previous fraud charges & time spent in prison? Is this another example of overpaid civil servants not doing their job properly?
The news story reported that he came during the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan and if my memory serves me right immigration relaxed many requirements at that time. Since our now Dep Gov was then Chief Immigration Officer he can tell us how criminals like Levitt and others like him would have been able to slip into these islands during that period.
Systems exist that would have found this person out before this public black eye.
This is not the first time our lucrative shores have attracted white collar criminals that try to blend in before they steal from us. However, the Immigration Department failed on examining his "Emegency permit" and subsequent work permit approvals. Our "Immigration "Enforcement" is lacking.
Come on good guys, buy or use a little software. You enjoy the fees that come with these permits, now it is up to Immigration to make sure people are who they say they are!?
I feel sorry for the hard working upstanding Rotarians who were duped by this calculating accounting criminal.
Hebis not the only criminal that has duped Rotary.
And Im trying to survive by selling the same man a $50 portion and get 10 Years.
It just dont add up!
I think it's something they're smokimg.
What I would like to know is HOW WAS HE ALLOWED IN TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS WITH SUCH A RECORD. Goes to show how much employers and Immigration checks.
If you can hookup with him in Northward he can teach you how to sell a $30 portion for $50 and you will be rich before you know it.
CNS your wording does not make sense – did he get 7.5 years per count, or 7,5 years in total.
CNS: When sentences run concurrently, it means that the convict serves them all at the same time. So he got 7.5 years per count but was sentenced to 7.5 years total jail time.
I find it interesting that when some people fail to comprehend they simply conclude that something does not make sense.
71/2 for theft and 6 months for rape… WTF
I hope he is deported after serving the sentence and that he does not get any parole before taht time.That si what we get though by putting those foreigners on a pedestal.
The man who was sentenced to 6 months was sentenced for indecent assault not rape. I am not making any excuses for him and I dont know him but people keeps getting it wrong. The little girl wasnt raped.
rape or assualt same Shit
Ummm….no. There is a world of difference between inappropriate touching and forced penetration.