Janice Samuel sentenced to six years behind bars after pleading guilty, last month, to 19 counts of fraud

Former Observer Radio contributor Janice Samuel was sentenced Wednesday morning, May 4, in the High Court and will spend the next six years in prison after being convicted on forgery charges.

Justice Colin Williams handed down the sentence after she pleaded guilty to some 19 counts of fraud – five counts of forgery and 14 counts of obtaining money by virtue of a forged instrument – on Tuesday, April 12.

Samuel could have gotten up to 14 years in prison on the respective offences, and has had at least two earlier convictions for offences of a similar nature.  

Previously, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted for larceny by a servant. Reportedly she was charged for four offences in that same year.  She was also convicted for embezzlement and was fined $5,000.

This reportedly is her last outstanding matter, and she has no more matters before the court.

In this recent instance, Samuel’s attorney had opted not to have the Probation Department conduct a social-inquiry report into her background.

Samuel was employed with H2One Limited as an office assistant, between March 15 and July 7, 2019.  It was during this time that she is alleged to have stolen $107,119.27 from the business.

However, this offence came to light only after she was convicted for embezzlement and her former employer began to investigate the company’s records.

The 48-year-old mother was allegedly writing company cheques in her name and giving them to a friend for cashing at a gas station.

Police had arrested and charged him, but those charges were later withdrawn after he and Samuel admitted that he did not know of the fraud.

Samuel had been on remand awaiting trial and sentencing.  Her bail had been revoked after she failed to show up for a hearing at the Magistrate’s Court.