A Jamaican businessman who authorities said stashed US$83 million in several financial institutions in the United States is now the subject of intense scrutiny by investigators from at least three investigative arms of US law enforcement.
The investigators have tied the businessman to every known Jamaican ‘don’ — some deceased — going back more than 15 years.
The man, who lives in one of Jamaica’s swanky, upper-class communities, is described as being “filthy rich, making his millions quicker than Warren Buffett,” according to one US investigator who is on his trail here. Buffett is ranked among the top three richest men in the world.
“For a poor country, Jamaica has some of the richest people in the world,” the source remarked last Monday during a late-night hotel room meeting. “Do not be surprised when I tell you that there are some filthy rich Jamaicans with huge financial assets — in such a short period of time — you have to ask, how did they acquire so much wealth so quickly.”
The Sunday Observer was told that at a conservative estimate, the businessman under probe is worth J$7 billion, but he also has significant reserves in two banks in Jamaica.
The man appears to have great affection for Florida, as a substantial portion of his money is said to be stashed in that state.
The source noted that when the wealth of the businessman started to grow exponentially, red flags were raised. Investigators began following the money and found huge sums were lodged in the US, while massive conversions from local banks were transferred to the US accounts.
The Sunday Observer was also told that investigators connected the businessman to two well-known deceased underworld figures Donovan ‘Bulbie’ Bennett, who headed the notorious criminal Klansman gang based in Spanish Town and William ‘Willie Haggart’ Moore, the self-styled community don and leader of the infamous Black Roses Crew.
Bennett was killed in what police said was a shoot-out in Tanaky, Clarendon in 2005, while Moore was shot dead by gunmen on Lincoln Crescent, Kingston in April 2001.
The US authorities are, however, giving special attention to the businessman’s association with former Tivoli Gardens don, Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, who is now a fugitive from Jamaican law enforcement officials seeking to execute a warrant for his arrest, following a 2009 indictment by a US grand jury.
In fact, the investigators have pulled out the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) statute, in their pursuit of the man who they say gained his millions from criminal means.
“When law enforcement began looking into Coke’s business, we were surprised how often this man and his company came up, and we started asking more questions,” said the investigator. “And the more questions we asked, the more eyebrows were raised.”
Coke, the reputed head of the notorious Shower Posse, was indicted on drugs and gun-trafficking charges.
The investigator described the businessman’s connection to Coke as “an alliance satisfying to them both”, and said this was the main reason for the microscopic look into his business operations locally.
“We are certain that monies from one of the businessman’s accounts paid for guns in the United States, as well as ammunition that were shipped to Jamaica. We believe that in an effort to throw off investigators, overseas accounts were used to pay for guns and ammunition, and the cash from drugs sold in the US was lodged to the businessman’s account,” the investigator told the Sunday Observer.
But US officials are not stopping there.
They have honed in on the business operations of some Manchester businessmen, some well-known and some of lesser profile, whose wealth they have described as “unbelievable”.
“Jamaica’s debt of US$1.3 trillion could be reduced substantially by the wealth of your people, believe me,” the investigator said.
Earlier this year, the Sunday Observer reported that US officials had drawn up a list of some 30 Jamaicans with unbelievable wealth, whose business operations they were interested in.
The investigator said that several persons living in Clarendon, along the coast in St Elizabeth, and the Manchester community of Ingleside, are regarded as persons of interest.
You just seeing this old story?
YAH
Wedda it old or new, Thanks for the read. I am in no way or form condone with theses people who send guns to my country, But my thing is this, You know you doing illegal ish, why have sooo much money in the bank? Lwad have mercy. Nothing last forever. All the one that live in Manchester bout him have construction business when we all know how him mek fi him money, all him suppose to a old a gray up now, it wouldn’t be so nice after all these years of money and donship to be put behind bars with you gray up front. Most of these BIG MEN, They mash up the little island with the gun business.
if yuh dont make money yuh dont make sense!!!!
Anonymous….. di one eena Manchester to which yu a refer cannot be touched. Figet bout bars fi dat one. Keep it moving, nothing to see here….
Willie you right 🙂 lol. De Man a country kinda keep it clean in a smooth way, a think him long retired from certain things.
why dem feds bwoy yah love jump in other country business if you dont want de man money tell him fe tek it out of the american banks but he is not american so let the jamaican police investigate him and mind yuh own business
It becomes Americas business when the money is being kept in their banks
Bwahahahaha
Dem have all rights because a nuff funeral that phucka contribute to and not financially. Him a live like a emperor in a poor nation…been through south lately? all the mongrel dog dem can do wid some scraps from that bitch table.
Chris kerr ?
CHO f**king stupid ass is no business man sooo he pass the SWISS report nothing banks in Cayman to lodge money in US report over 10000 deposit to IRS for investigation bank.. What a f**king jackass LOCK him up and dash way the key.. Give the money to the ghetto yute dem smarter than him. Bout business man. f**king fool is more like it. Just luck and connection cause he sure dont have sense to start from the bottom .
Well if dem come by dem money wid dirty hands karma nuh muss ketch up wid dem.
OMG!!!!! I can’t believe is so much rich people reside in Ja and they can’t help the economy. Omg!!!! I wonder who this businessman is and who are the 30 people the US have compiled a list for
To be honest, Butch Stewart did pump a lot of money into the economy back in the day, I don’t know if he still does.
But fiddi most pawt, many a dese money man couldn’t care less to use dem wealth to do any good fi anybody. Dem prefah buy crachiz or batty and do di champagne and caviar ting. Now govt going to get all di money when it could have sent thousands to school, help di homeless, even buy di Ultrasound machine wah KPH seh dem need. I nah watch nuhbady packit yaw, a we di working class ppl and di poor give di most when it comes to charity, a we a wi brothaz keepaz, not a soul else, di rich nuh hab no time fi wi problems.
The FEDS really need fi have several seats.. my reasons House Speaker Mitch Conelley millionaire, and millions of cocaine find on one of the many ships he owned, and nobody nah talk bout it!
BTW mi think a skeng Don
kmft wasted talent
So much money n so much poor ppl in ja this worse then greed at least try give something back to the community damn!!!!
All him nuh ez……….Uncle Sam seh long run=short ketch………an a bet u him no do nutthen significant fi poor ppl dung a Jamaica……..tek it rass fram him an lock up him claat pantapahit…kmft….
This is an old story that was published by the Observer in 2010.
Why every time when people hustle and set dem self uno feel sey dem owe poor people and the ghetto youths, LOL…UNO BETTA GO LOOK A BLOODCLAAT WORK AND STOP WATCH PEOPLE TINGS..
BAD MIND RED EYE JONCRO UNO, ALL UNO DO A WATCH PEOPL TINGS.
IF UNCLE SAM WANT TEK DI MAN MONEY WHA HIM HUSTLE FOR WHY UNO BEX..
MI STLL CANT UNDERSTAN NUFF JCANS AND A DEY MI COME FROM..UNO FI STOP WATCH PEOPLE TINGS …..BADMIND F**KA UNO…
DAZ WHY MI LOVE COUNTRY PEOPLE CAUSE MOST TOWN PEOPLE LOVE DON AND LIKES 2 MUCH DATS WHY DEM ALWAYS GET F**K UP THE BUTT.LOL..DEM CANT FOOL ME A MY MADDA A MY DON A SHE FUSS BRING CLARKS COME GIVE ME FROM LONDON* DI SO CALLED DON GET LOCK UP AND SOME BIG GRAY TONE MAN AND WOMAN A SEY DEM A WAIT FI DI DON COME.. B4 DEM GO WERK AND HELP DEM POOR FAMILY.. MOST GARRISONS NEED A GENOCIDE, I THINK U HAVE TO KILL OUT THE F**KER THEM THAT THINK A CERTAIN WAY,DEM AND DEM PICKNEY PICKNEY!
Ur a real jackass enuh. U tink mi waan none a him 83 million ill gotten gains? How u tink him get it…u read di article weh say him have ties to how much dons, how much people u tink dead fi him get all a dat…bout red eye fi people tings…shut u $h!t an gweh.
Beyond a jackass, all dat typing and not one constructive or worthwhile thought processed. Dis idiot seh him modda a him don because shi fuss bring Clarks from henglan feem, him not even realize seh him contradicting him statements…hee haw.