American National remanded for money laundering

William Jewett

After four days in police custody and two nights remanded at the Hattieville Prison, thirty three -year-old American national, William Russell Jewett will be spending more time behind bars.  Jewett’s arrest came as a result of a search of his vessel on Friday, January fifteenth.  The police in collaboration with the Financial Intelligence Unit personnel found the money hidden behind a panel inside a closet in the master bedroom of Jewett’s vessel.  The F.I.U. was successful in convincing the court to deny Jewett bail on the strength of a warrant sent from a circuit magistrate court of the United States. It turns out that Jewett is wanted in Texas on a firearm possession charge.  He failed to show up at his trial and fled to Belize after passing through Mexico and Guatemala.   The F.I.U. had also indicated to the court that Jewett came into the country illegally using a counterfeit passport.  He is being charged with knowingly evading the laws and restrictions of the Customs Department relating to the importation, exportation, unshipping, landing and delivery of goods.   When he entered the country on December thirty-first, it is alleged that Jewett did not report his vessel latitude adjustments as required in the Customs laws of Belize.  He is additionally charged for failing to report a boat he brought into the country and for the money laundering of one hundred and twenty thousand U.S. dollars and smaller quantities in different currencies. In the presence of his attorneys, Ellis Arnold and Dickie Bradley, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. Jewett was remanded until February nineteenth.