A 17-year-old was yesterday charged with fraudulent conversion of funds entrusted to him.
It is alleged that on December 25 at Georgetown, Charlie Edwards was entrusted by Lennox Bowen with $400,000 to purchase GTT phone cards and return same to Bowen, but used the money for his own personal needs.
Edwards pleaded not guilty.
According to Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones, Edwards, who resides at Kwakwani Waterfront, Berbice with his grandmother does odd jobs for Bowen. He added that after Bowen gave the funds to Edwards to conduct the business he did not hear from him. Bowen is said to have gotten wind after sometime that Edwards was in Berbice at a hotel. He and the police went to the hotel and found the accused in one of the rooms with $107,000 and a cellphone which he claimed to have purchased.
The accused, who said he was desirous of joining the army was placed on $100,000 bail by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.
Jones was ordered to return the $107,000 that was found in the hotel room to Bowen upon the completion of the related paperwork.
