MONTEGO BAY, St James — A St James man charged in connection with an alleged overseas job-placement scheme maintained his position in court on Wednesday that he had no knowledge of how his banking details were used while he has been in custody for nearly a year.

DeCarlos Christie appeared before Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton in the St James Parish Court on a charge of conspiracy to defraud, arising from allegations that three women were fleeced in a scheme offering overseas employment opportunities. The court heard that in January, the first complainant was introduced to a man allegedly offering overseas placements. She was later provided with a JN Bank account number linked to Christie and deposited $52,000 into the account. A second complainant reportedly made a direct deposit of $205,000 to facilitate processing of a medical examination, police record, and other documents required for participation in the overseas placement programme. The third complainant also transferred $10,000 to the same account.

After the promised opportunities failed to materialise, the first complainant reportedly informed her friends that she believed the operation was a scam. All three complainants reported the matter to the Area One Fraud Squad, leading to Christie being charged.