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Hugh Raguette.
Hugh Raguette.

Chairman of the Carnival Bands Association (CBA), Hugh Ragguette, has pleaded guilty to four charges related to the preparation of fictitious job letters and financial statements in support of persons applying for U.S. visas.

The 65-year-old Stoney Ground resident, who pleaded not guilty when the charges were first put to him on April 4, changed his plea to guilty when he re-appeared at the Serious Offences Court on Friday.

On Friday, Ragguette’s lawyer, Ronald “Ronnie” Marks, asked Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias to put the charges to his client again.

Ragguette then pleaded guilty “that on Sept. 6, 2011 at Kingstown, with intent to defraud the United States Consular Officer in Bridgetown, Barbados, falsely represented himself to be H Val Prescott, a fictitious person”.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge “that on Sept. 9, 2011 at Kingstown, with intent to defraud the United States Consular Officer in Bridgetown, Barbados, falsely represented himself to be Mavis E. Johnson, a fictitious person”.

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The other two charges, to which he also pleaded guilty, were ‘that on July 29, 2013 at Kingstown, with intent to defraud the United States Consular Officer in Bridgetown, Barbados, falsely represented himself to be C.B Richards, a fictitious person” and “that on Aug. 9, 2013 at Kingstown, with intent to defraud the United States Consular Officer in Bridgetown, Barbados, falsely represented himself to be Mavis E. Johnson, a fictitious person”.

Marks asked that sentencing be postponed, saying he needed about three weeks to get some documents relevant to the case.

Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche did not object and the magistrate granted the adjournment.