Another rich J'can under US probe Sunday, June 20, 2010 A Jamaican businessman who authorities said stashed US$83 million in several financial institutions in the United States is now the subject of intense scrutiny by investigators from at least three investigative arms of US law enforcement.
The investigators have tied the businessman to every known Jamaican 'don' -- some deceased -- going back more than 15 years.
The man, who lives in one of Jamaica's swanky, upper-class communities, is described as being "filthy rich, making his millions quicker than Warren Buffett," according to one US investigator who is on his trail here. Buffett is ranked among the top three richest men in the world.
"For a poor country, Jamaica has some of the richest people in the world," the source remarked last Monday during a late-night hotel room meeting. "Do not be surprised when I tell you that there are some filthy rich Jamaicans with huge financial assets -- in such a short period of time -- you have to ask, how did they acquire so much wealth so quickly."
The Sunday Observer was told that at a conservative estimate, the businessman under probe is worth J$7 billion, but he also has significant reserves in two banks in Jamaica.
The man appears to have great affection for Florida, as a substantial portion of his money is said to be stashed in that state.
The source noted that when the wealth of the businessman started to grow exponentially, red flags were raised. Investigators began following the money and found huge sums were lodged in the US, while massive conversions from local banks were transferred to the US accounts.
The Sunday Observer was also told that investigators connected the businessman to two well-known deceased underworld figures Donovan 'Bulbie' Bennett, who headed the notorious criminal Klansman gang based in Spanish Town and William 'Willie Haggart' Moore, the self-styled community don and leader of the infamous Black Roses Crew.
Bennett was killed in what police said was a shoot-out in Tanaky, Clarendon in 2005, while Moore was shot dead by gunmen on Lincoln Crescent, Kingston in April 2001.
The US authorities are, however, giving special attention to the businessman's association with former Tivoli Gardens don, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is now a fugitive from Jamaican law enforcement officials seeking to execute a warrant for his arrest, following a 2009 indictment by a US grand jury.
In fact, the investigators have pulled out the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) statute, in their pursuit of the man who they say gained his millions from criminal means.
"When law enforcement began looking into Coke's business, we were surprised how often this man and his company came up, and we started asking more questions," said the investigator. "And the more questions we asked, the more eyebrows were raised."
Coke, the reputed head of the notorious Shower Posse, was indicted on drugs and gun-trafficking charges.
The investigator described the businessman's connection to Coke as "an alliance satisfying to them both", and said this was the main reason for the microscopic look into his business operations locally.
"We are certain that monies from one of the businessman's accounts paid for guns in the United States, as well as ammunition that were shipped to Jamaica. We believe that in an effort to throw off investigators, overseas accounts were used to pay for guns and ammunition, and the cash from drugs sold in the US was lodged to the businessman's account," the investigator told the Sunday Observer.
But US officials are not stopping there.
They have honed in on the business operations of some Manchester businessmen, some well-known and some of lesser profile, whose wealth they have described as "unbelievable".
"Jamaica's debt of US$1.3 trillion could be reduced substantially by the wealth of your people, believe me," the investigator said.
Earlier this year, the Sunday Observer reported that US officials had drawn up a list of some 30 Jamaicans with unbelievable wealth, whose business operations they were interested in.
The investigator said that several persons living in Clarendon, along the coast in St Elizabeth, and the Manchester community of Ingleside, are regarded as persons of interest.
