Yuri on bail for allegedly faking COVID test results

Cuban National Yuri Garcia Dominguez, who is before the court on a series of fraud charges in relation to an alleged Ponzi scheme, was on Friday released on $200,000 bail for allegedly falsifying his COVID-19 test results.

Dominguez appeared before City Magistrate Leron Daly and was not required to plead to the charge which alleged that on July 27, at Georgetown, he conspired with persons known and unknown to forge a COVID-19 test result to show that he was positive for the dreaded disease.

The Magistrate released Dominguez on $200,000 bail and adjourned the matter until November 5, 2021.

Almost three weeks ago Dominguez’s wife, Ateeka Ishmael was charged with the same offence and was released on $200,000 bail.

Ishmael and her husband are currently before the Sparendaam and Cove and John Magistrate Courts for a series of fraud charges.

On Monday, the couple appeared before the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court to answer to 38 new charges and were released on self bail.

The couple’s then-attorney, Dexter Todd had submitted the court medical documents that his clients had tested positive for COVID-19.

The police had conducted investigations into the authenticity of the medical documents, which later proved that the documents were fake.

Dominguez had said previously, through his attorney, that he intends to refund some $100 million to over 3,000 investors, whose investments he was ‘managing’ in a forex trading account.

According to the Guyana Police Force, Dominguez and his wife solicited millions of dollars from hundreds of unsuspecting Guyanese, who were enticed by extraordinary returns of approximately 40 per cent. Investors were also encouraged to enlist additional investors on a 10 percent commission basis.