Woman on 59 fraud charges

An Arima woman, charged with 59 counts of fraud, was granted $200,000 bail on Tuesday and will reappear in court on June 14. Licia Howell, 41, of Rosewood Gardens, Arima, was not called upon to plead when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar in the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrate’s Court.

Howell is charged with causing RBTT, Maraval, to pay to herself and one other person monies totalling over $400,000 during the period 2007 to 2009. Representing Howell, attorney Ian Brooks appealed for reasonable bail or even a cash alternative.

Indicating  she was not prepared to impose cash bail, Ayers-Caesar granted Howell $200,000 bail to be approved by a Clerk of the Peace III, to cover all the charges. Sgt Arlet Groome of the Fraud Squad laid the charges.