A man who allegedly pretended to be a customs officer and obtained money on the pretext that he could clear a car from the wharf was ordered in absentia at the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court to repay the sum of $350,000 or serve two years in prison.

Qubert Frank Branch whose address was only given as Georgetown was yesterday found guilty of obtaining the sum of $350,000 with intent to defraud Samuel Amos by falsely pretending to be a customs officer who was in the position to clear Amos’ vehicle from the wharf for the said sum.

Branch was absent from the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court when Magistrate Ann McLennan found him guilty of the offence, committed in January 2005.

The court ordered that he repay the sum of $350,000 to the virtual complainant or in default he would have to spend two years in prison. The offence was committed between January 4 and 7, 2005 at Silver City, Wismar, Linden.