Photo: June Belisle
“Justice Nigel Pilgrim has deferred sentencing for November 28, 2023”
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Nov. 2, 2023
Tonight, a former First-Class Clerk, June Belisle, 46, who was once employed with the Government of Belize’s Treasury Department, is home with loved ones as she awaits her sentence after she pleaded guilty to theft of $91,639.58, property of GoB, which occurred between October 31, 2019, and October 11, 2020.
The over-3-years theft case which had cost the Government of Belize tens of thousands of dollars, came to a closure this morning when Belisle appeared before Justice Nigel Pilgrim in the presence of her attorney, Ronell Gonzalez, and pleaded guilty to theft.
Justice Pilgrim has reserved sentencing for November 28, 2023, and Belisle’s bail of $25,000 was further extended to that time, when mitigating pleas will be heard on her behalf before the Judge could decide on an appropriate sentence for the crime.
In 2020, Belisle confessed to committing the big theft heist on the Government.
It was discovered that Belisle, who was employed as a First-Class Clerk with the Treasury Department, had entered six individuals into the Government’s Smart Stream System.
The individuals were entered by Belisle fraudulently under the drivers of being employed by the Government of Belize as teachers and receiving a salary from the GoB.
The alleged victims, whom Belisle used to execute what appeared to be a perfect scam, were single mothers.
Belisle told the single mothers that there was a financial assistance program for single parents, and that the monies would be deposited into their bank account every end of the month; and whenever the monies were deposited, they were to keep a shallow portion of it, then give her the rest of the money.
Belisle then entered their names into the Smart Stream System as if the single parents were teachers hired by the GoB.
The amount of money in total netted by Belisle by the end of the scam during the period of October 31, 2019, and October 11, 2020, was $91,639.58.
Belisle had confessed to the theft, and in a caution statement she gave police, she attributed her actions to the financial strain she was experiencing.