AFTER successfully hosting President Barack Obama and his team during their official visit to the island last month, the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston was left embarrassed when one of its employees stole more than a dozen phones used by the US Secret Service.
The Secret Service is the security agency tasked with protecting United States presidents and is renowned the world over for efficiency and zeal with which its agents go about their duty.
Reports of the theft, which occurred a day after Obama left the island on April 9, and the subsequent arrest of 28-year-old Christopher Green, were kept out of the public until he appeared in court last Monday.
Green was kept behind bars from the day he was arrested until Monday when he was sentenced in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court to nine months’ imprisonment.
The sentence was, however, suspended for two years, meaning that Green will not serve the time unless he commits a crime within the two years, for which he could be imprisoned.
“He didn’t know what he was doing,” attorney CJ Mitchell said in asking the court’s mercy for his client.
“In my heart he should go to prison for stupidity,” said Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey before imposing the non-custodial sentence.
Obama arrived in the island April 8 on a two-day working trip during which he visited the Bob Marley Museum, had bilateral talks with Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and some of her Cabinet ministers, met with Caricom leaders, spoke at a town hall meeting at the University of the West Indies, and laid a wreath at the shrine of World War I and World War II veterans.
He also committed nearly US$70 million to help young entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean develop their businesses through fellowships and incubators in the US.
He left Jamaica on April 9 for the seventh summit of the Americas in Panama.
Green, an electrician of a Kingston 14 address, was charged with simple larceny after admitting to police that on April 10 he stole 15 Nokia 106 cellphones from a room on the 12th floor of the hotel that was supposed to have been secured.
A number of phones were purchased for Obama’s security personnel for the visit.
At the end of their duties in Jamaica, the Secret Service agents left the phones on a table in the room which was locked up. The room was supposed to have remained off bounds and the phones kept secured until April 11 when US Embassy workers would collect them.
The phones were picked up, but an inventory later discovered that 15 of them were missing.
The matter was reported to the police, whose investigation led them to Green on April 21.
“Bwoy, officer, mi find the phones at mi workplace. Mi work a Pegasus,” he reportedly told investigators.
He then took the police to his home where he turned over three of the phones and four SIM cards.
About 3:00 pm the same day, he was interviewed by detectives whom he reportedly told under caution that he gave phones to some of his colleagues. He gave aliases for the men.
“Mi sell one to ah youth name Teddy. Mi give mi likkle bredda one, mi baby mother and har bredda one,” he continued.
Eight of the 15 phones were recovered, three from Green’s mother and five from his co-workers, police said.
Bwoy, why our people stay so bad? I honestly thinks arrogance cause this..
MR Green you will not see a green card or the American greens you not clever.
Dam tied an finga fearing. Dem too licky licky an red eye. Him fi go a prison along wit him (lawyer) liar bout him nuh no weh him did a do.ohh plzzz spare no. Too much slackness a gwaan wuk fi weh u want n top tief.