Court case continues today; more charges to be read
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A Bahamian woman was arraigned in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday on charges of possession of a forged document and forgery in relation to the recent trend of fake coronavirus tests.
Laderia Russell, 35, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt and was read 40 counts of the 160 counts she is expected to be charged with.
The court dockets for the initial charges allege that between November 25, 2020 and March 20, 2021, Russell had in her possession a forged Doctor’s Hospital Health System negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test, in the names of multiple different people, knowing they were not genuine.
Several of the forged documents were allegedly in the names of the same individuals multiple times but for different dates.
Russell pleaded not guilty to all 40 charges.
She was represented by attorneys Wandawn Miller-Fraser and Ian Cargill.
Ferguson-Pratt stood the matter down to today, when she is expected to read the remaining charges.
However, Russell was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until she returns to court.
Good job!