30 December 2020 –
After Anthony Angol was found guilty on Dec. 14 of untrue declaration and failing to declare more than $850,000 to Her Majesty’s Customs, Magistrate Tamia Richards sentenced him on Dec. 22 to pay a $20,000 fine for the latter offence and ruled that he had already served sufficient prison time for the former, according to a Dec. 23 circular issued by Director of Public Prosecutions Tiffany Scatliffe-Esprit.
Ms. Richards also ruled that $854,540 found aboard a speedboat that Mr. Angol had captained was forfeited to the Crown, and that Mr. Angol would spend six months in prison if he does not pay the $20,000 fine, the circular states.
Mr. Angol previously spent nine months on remand after the cash was found aboard the vessel on Oct. 19, 2019, according to the DPP.
The circular did not say why Mr. Angol was released from remand, whether he has a deadline to pay the fee, or where he resides, and Ms. Scatliffe-Esprit did not immediately respond to an email on Tuesday.
Crown’s allegations
Mr. Angol arrived at the West End ferry terminal at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2019 with one other passenger aboard the Dark Knight, a 30-foot speedboat that he captained, according to the allegations laid out in the circular.
While filling out a customs declaration form at the dock, Mr. Angol declared certain items aboard his ship, such as numerous motorcycle helmets, and then handed the form to customs officer Michael Callwood, according to the allegations.
When Mr. Callwood asked Mr. Angol if there were any other items on board he wished to declare, he answered in the negative, the Crown alleged.
Mr. Callwood, along with customs officer Myron Hastings, then searched the vessel in the presence of Mr. Angol, and “noticed a black duffel bag in the bow of the vessel,” the Crown alleged.
Mr. Callwood asked Mr. Angol about the contents of the bag, and the captain denied having any knowledge of it, according to the allegations.
The officer then opened the bag to find that it contained stacks of United States currency, though Mr. Angol “denied having any knowledge that the bag was there,” the Crown alleged in the circular, adding, “He similarly denied knowing anything about the contents of the bag.”
Police called
After police were called for assistance, officers from the Financial Crime Unit arrived at the scene and began an investigation, questioning Mr. Angol about the origin of the money, according to the allegations.
Again, the accused claimed that he “had no idea where the money came from or to whom the money belonged,” the circular states.
The money was photographed and counted, and Mr. Angol was interviewed under caution, continuing to insist that he didn’t know how the money was placed on board, according to the allegations.
