Wortmanville man charged with 48 counts of `bank fraud’ – police

-accused of defrauding couple of $36.4m from bank account

(Police press release) Shemaiah Ryan, called ‘Banker’, a 23-year-old unemployed resident of Bent Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown, was arrested by Police on 31st March 2025, and charged today by a detective from CID’s Fraud Squad, with the following offences:

a) Twenty-five (25) Counts of Simple Larceny, Contrary to Section 164 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 08:01 of Gy$4,829,000 committed on Bernadette Peterkin and Carl Peterkin.

b) Twenty-three (23) counts of Conspiracy to Commit Computer-Related Fraud, Contrary to Section 22(b) of the Cyber Crime Act No.16 of 2018 (of Gy$31,615,000 committed on Bernadette Peterkin and Carl Peterkin).

The accused appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court #3 before Magistrate Fabayo Azore, where the charges were read to him. He pleaded not guilty and was placed on $50,000 bail on each count, amounting to the sum of Gy$2,400,000. The matter was adjourned to the 16th of May 2025 for report.

SUMMARY

Bernadette Peterkin and Carl Peterkin are joint Savings Account holders at a city bank. They never applied for or were issued with ATM Cards, nor have they signed up for Internet Banking.

On 2022-09-02, the accused conspired with persons to make a National Identification Card in the name of Carl Peterkin using all his information. The person then went into the city bank (name of bank withheld) at its branch on Camp Street, presented the Identification Card and represented himself as Carl Peterkin, requested an ATM card and signed up for Internet Banking.

The accused then contacted Donna Edwards and her daughter Chelsea Edwards (both of whom he had known for a number of years) and told them that he is a Contractor doing Government Road Projects in Berbice and he does not get the time to go to the bank in Georgetown to withdraw monies to pay his workers in time. The accused requested Donna and Chelsea Edwards to transfer monies to their accounts, which they will withdraw and hand over to him, and they agreed.

During the period 02nd September 2022 and 19th September 2022, on thirteen (13) occasions, he transferred the sum of Gy$17,997,000 from Bernadatte and Charles Peterkin’s account into Chelsea Edwards’ account, via Internet banking.

Between 07th September 2022 and 27th September 2022-09-27, on thirteen (13) occasions he transferred the sum of Gy$13,618,000 from Bernadette Peterkin and Carl Peterkin’s account to Donna Edwards’ account via Internet Banking.

Chelsea Edwards and Donna Edwards withdrew the said cash and handed same to the accused.

During the period 02nd September 2022 and 30th September 2022, on twenty-seven (27) occasions, the accused went to several ATM locations in and around Georgetown where he used the ATM card and withdrew the sum of Gy$4,829,000 from Bernadette Peterkin and Carl Peterkin’s account.

On all occasions, he was caught on CCTV doing the ATM withdrawals.

Total amount defrauded: Gy$36,444,000.