Former court cashier jailed for $3M embezzlement

Former Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts cashier Tiffany Peters was on Monday sentenced to 60 months in prison after being found guilty of stealing in excess of $3M from the court.

The sentence was handed down by city magistrate Judy Latchman at the conclusion of Peters’ trial, where she was found guilty of stealing $3,045,000 between February 7 and September 11, 2012, while being employed as a clerk/servant of the courts. In delivering the ruling, the magistrate underscored the seriousness of the offence.

Peters’ attorney, Adrian Thompson, indicated that he wil appeal the court’s decision.

Peters, 24, of Lot 33 Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara had not been required to plead to the indictable charge at her first appearance on November 19 last year before Magistrate Faith McGusty.

Prosecutor Seon Blackman had said that Peters, who was employed as a clerk/cashier at the maintenance section of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts registry.

Her responsibilities entailed writing up maintenance affiliation cards, cash composition books and collecting cash from persons paying monies to the courts. During the February to September period, Blackman said, Peters had made changes to receipts and records and stole the money mentioned in the charge. The theft was reported and investigated and she was subsequently arrested and charged.