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$1.47m is confiscated from money-launderer

A man admitted to large-scale money laundering and had $1.47 million in criminal assets confiscated from him by the Supreme Court.Roger Cox, 38, from St George’s, admitted to laundering $338,920 of dirty money on April 2, 2009 in collaboration with Sumaya Lambe, 31, also from St George’s.He admitted laundering a further $369,640 cash the following day. And he admitted he had transferred or removed an unspecified sum of money from Bermuda which was the proceeds of crime, to help him avoid prosecution for drug trafficking.Cox pleaded not guilty to a further charge of transferring a car and bike, which were the alleged proceeds of his criminal conduct, for the purposes of avoiding a confiscation order.Prosecutor Cindy Clarke asked that that charge lie on file, and filed an application not to proceed with charges of money laundering that Ms Lambe was facing, and had previously denied.A third woman charged alongside them, Michelle Lindsay, 49, from Devonshire, pleaded guilty to money laundering in collaboration with Ms Lambe between April 13, 2004 and May 31, 2009. She admitted that she knew or suspected Cox was involved in criminal conduct and entered into arrangements that facilitated the retention or control of the proceeds of his criminal conduct.However, she denied a second charge of money laundering in collaboration with Ms Lambe.Ms Clarke asked that that charge against Lindsay lie on file.She then asked Chief Justice Richard Ground to make a confiscation order, which had been signed by all parties in the case. Ms Cox said the order, under the Proceeds of Crime Act, deems the total benefit of Cox’s criminal enterprises to be $2.28 million.However, the actual order confiscates $1.47 million, which Ms Clarke described as Cox’s “realisable assets”.The Chief Justice granted this order and said the $1.47 million would go into the Confiscated Assets Fund.Finally, he signed a forfeiture order for an unspecified amount of cash, jewellery and the balance of some bank accounts that were discovered during the investigation.He told Ms Lambe she was free to go, having accepted the application not to continue the prosecution against her. Meanwhile he bailed Cox and Lindsay until they are sentenced next month, imposing conditions including the surrender of their travel documents.No details of the offences were outlined in court by prosecutor Cindy Clarke. The pleas were entered on the day that a trial was due to begin in the case and Cox and Lindsay will now be sentenced on April 15.