Diego Martin woman pleads guilty to defrauding bank for car loan

A DIEGO Martin woman is expected to be sentenced next week for uttering forged documents to get a bank loan to buy an SUV in 2019.

Patrice Bigford pleaded guilty to four counts of uttering forged documents on October 9. She will be sentenced on October 15.

Bigford is accused of presenting a forged payslip, job letter, letter of non-indebtedness and a partnership agreement to Republic Bank’s Diego Martin branch on November 18, 2019, for a loan to buy a Nissan Qashqai from Massy Motors.

The documents were later found to be fraudulent.

After she was arrested at the bank, Bigford admitted to police she had applied for the loan.

WPC Lutchmansingh-Mungal of the Fraud Squad charged Bigford, who indicated she wanted to plead guilty on July 15, when she was committed to stand trial.

Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds said the case was a good one to learn from, in terms of filling procedural gaps under the new Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act.

Bigford is represented by Adaphia Tancuso-Ribero of the Public Defenders Department. Charmaine Samuel and Guiliana Guy represent the Office of the DPP.