Judge probes missing cash

(CNS): A 46-year-old woman convicted of stealing almost a half million dollars from a client at the offshore law firm where she once worked was remanded in custody on Monday pending her eventual sentence. After more than twelve months of denying the allegations Patricia Glasgow finally admitted the massive theft, in which she stole US$437,300 in November last year. But an application by the crown for a compensation order has led to further enquiries. Justice Charles Quin is now trying to establish if some of the money can be recovered as Glasgow sold her house to her brother after criminal proceedings had already begun and one week before a civil action was also filed against her by Rochester Ltd, the victims of the theft.

During a second sentencing hearing on Monday, Justice Quin explained that he would not be delivering his ruling until further enquiries were made into the missing cash and the possibility that Glasgow did have remaining assets, which could be seized.

The crown has claimed that Glasgow, who has not made any offers or attempts to pay back any of the stolen money, has admitted that some $75,000 which remained after she had paid off her mortgage and other debts, including a grant to government under the Save the Mortgage Fund, was given to her brother. This, she claimed, was for future rent and to cover what were described as investments, as well as maintenance for her adult son. After selling her home to her sibling, Glasgow continued to live in the property, paying rent of $1,500 a month to be taken from the $75,000.

Glasgow has not been specific about where the entire $437,000, which she pilfered from Rochester in some 74 fraudulent transactions while she was a trustee, has gone but she claimed to have been blackmailed. During the first sentencing hearing in January her defence counsel told the court that a man who has since returned to Jamaica had threatened to expose explicit pictures of his client unless she paid him regular sums of cash. The alleged crime was not reported to the police and the police were never able to trace him, and when she was charged with the crime Glasgow appeared to have no assets except for her home or evidence of an extravagant lifestyle.

However, given the sale of the house during the criminal proceedings to a family member, as well as the transfer of this lump sum to her brother, the crown is seeking to recover some of that cash.

Glasgow’s brother, who appeared at the hearing Monday without legal counsel, handed over to the court an updated sworn affidavit about the chronology of events relating to the sale and the money he had received from Glasgow. As a result of concerns raised by both the prosecutor and the defence attorney about that document, he was advised to seek legal representation and then return to court on 20 February, when the judge will make further enquiries about the possible recovery.

Once the court has been able to establish whether money can be recovered, which can go to the mitigation or aggravation of the sentence imposed depending on whether or not there was any deliberate attempt to hide assets, the judge will be in a position to pass sentence.

Justice Quin told Glasgow that a custodial sentence was inevitable and as such she was to be remanded in custody and begin serving that yet to be pronounced sentence.

Glasgow stole the money while she was working at Bodden Corporate Services Ltd. That firm is also now part of a civil action being pursued by Rochester Ltd, the trust established in Cayman by a wealthy individual to fund various animal and environmental related charity projects, the crown revealed in its summary of the case.