Dave Rajeshwar Persaud, who was charged by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), was again sentenced to four years of imprisonment on two counts of Obtaining by False Pretence charges. Persaud, who initially entered not guilty pleas, admitted to committing the acts when he appeared before Magistrate Delon Bess at the Diamond Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 22, 2026.
SOCU in a release stated that the first charge indicated that with intent to defraud, Persaud obtained $1.8 million from Mitra Ramkumar by falsely pretending that he had a business, David R Persaud Group of Companies, and that he would invest the money and repay him $3.2 million within 21 days.
In addition, he collected one black Allion Motor Car, bearing registration number PAF 1697, valued at $2.6 million from Joel DeSouza under the pretext that he would purchase the vehicle and pay for it by cheque. Nevertheless, following his guilty pleas, Persaud was sentenced to two years of imprisonment on each charge.
He was unrepresented while SOCU was represented by Attorneys-at-Law David Brathwaite, Darin Chan, and Prosecutor Neville Jeffers. Persaud was convicted in April 2025 for a similar offence, for which he was sentenced to three of years’ imprisonment.
SOCU related that it remains committed to investigating and prosecuting financial crimes, including money laundering, terrorism, terrorism financing, proliferation financing offences and other serious related financial crimes, as well as pursuing asset recovery proceedings and civil forfeiture of tainted property and proceeds of crime.
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