Cashier allegedly steals over $8K from airport

Jillian Fahie has been called before the Magistrate’s Court for allegedly stealing more than $8,000 from the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA), which employed her as a cashier at the Terrence B Lettsome International Airport.

The 41-year-old is accused of creating fake receipts for airport passengers paying departure tax.

She is further accused of collecting the tax and pocketing it.

Fahie is charged with six counts of false accounting and another six counts of theft.

Allegations are that airport authorities first became suspicious of Fahie’s activities in February 2015 when three security guards made reports against her.

The security guards reportedly saw the woman overcharging passengers the departure tax. Fahie however claimed that the passengers were overcharged by accident.

At the time, the acting financial comptroller also received reports of missing departure tax receipts.

Fahie was given a warning letter, and was told that she would be monitored for a few months. A few months later, she allegedly was caught on camera taking paper from the airport’s copying room.

Police were alerted about Fahie’s alleged nefarious activities in May 2015.

Following investigations, it was revealed that the receipt paper she was issuing to passengers was not consistent with that usually issued by the machine that generates receipts. The paper from the receipts in question was thicker.

Director of the BVIAA Denniston Fraser realised that the receipts that were being issued by Fahie were fake, the court heard.

When told to give an explanation, the accused woman said: “When I was printing the receipt, I used the wrong machine and I printed too many receipts.”

Asked if she ever issued counterfeit receipts, Fahie allegedly said: “This is the first time. I issued counterfeit receipts one time prior to this morning (May 13, 2015).”

During a subsequent police interview, Fahie reportedly admitted to photocopying old receipts and then selling them back to passengers for $20.

She further told law enforcers that she had been ‘doing her little thing’ since early 2015.

Money stolen five months straight

According to the prosecution, Fahie allegedly generated $740 worth of fake receipts in January 2015. She also reportedly kept the money for herself.

In February of that year, she also reportedly stole $940 from the departure tax she collected, and then generated the corresponding amount in fake receipts.

It is further alleged that Fahie created $1,740 worth of fake receipts in March 2015 and pocketed the cash.

The court heard that, in the following month (April), Fahie stole $1,900 and generated the corresponding amount in fake receipts.

It is further alleged that she did the same thing between May 1 and May 12, 2015. She however increased the amount to $3,080.

The prosecution also claimed that Fahie falsified $1,40 worth of departure tax receipts on May 13, 2015 but allegedly stole $280 cash on that date.

Fahie, in the meantime, was granted $50,000 bail during her appearance before Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards last Friday.

She is being represented by attorney Valerie Stephens-Gordon, and is scheduled to return to court on December 13.