Hustler Fund scam: How duo conned public in fake loans scheme
Two suspected fraudsters who allegedly formed a fictitious association and collected hundreds of thousands of shillings from unsuspecting members of the public promising them Hustler Fund loans and grants from overseas countries are facing fraud related charges.
The main suspect in the fraud, Mr Christopher Juma, was singly charged with obtaining money by false pretenses contrary to section 313 of the penal code after allegedly defrauding one of their victims of Sh569,830.
He is accused of conning Elizabeth Onyango of the cash on diverse dates between January 13 and March 30, 2023 pretending that the cash was for development of a registered association identified as Bottomline Unique Association, a fact he knew to be false.
Mr Juma and his accomplice Ms Rosebrenda Obuya, who are the co-founders of the association, were jointly charged with conspiracy to defraud contrary to section 317 of penal code.
In the charge, they are accused of conspiring with others at large to collect money in terms of registration fee from members of the public for an association that they purported to be registered by the registrar of societies knowing the same was not true.
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They allegedly collected the money from hundreds of members of the public who were paying a membership registration fee of Sh1000 each between January 13 and March 30, 2023.
The two suspects are also facing an additional charge of forgery of official document in contravention of section 351 of the penal code where they are accused of an official certificate of registration for the Bottomline Unique Association purporting to be from registrar of societies.
The fraud was stopped by the police after investigations established that the association was not registered by the government.
Ms Onyango, who was hired as a recruitment officer for Nairobi after paying the registration fee, collected Sh541,830 from members of the public and added her Sh28,000 before sending the same to Mr Juma is listed as the main witness in the case.
Mr Juma and Ms Obuya were Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the association respectively after jointly starting the fraudulent association.
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They are purported to have a registration certificate issued by the registrar of societies Mary Goretti Nyariki but investigations by police constable Moses Okello of Kariobangi Police Station established that the association was not registered and the letter held by the two was a false document.
The suspects promised members that they would benefit by easily accessing the Hustler Fund and grants from foreign donors but Ms Onyango, who was a pioneer member, started questioning the same after failing to see any benefits in months she was a member. She went to the organization’s executive committee to enquire but was not given sufficient explanations.
Mr Juma and Ms Obuya denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Francis Kyambia of Makadara Law Courts and sought for lenient bail and bond terms through their advocate Philip Makori.
Mr Makori told the court that his client’s organization is registered and claimed the matters arose from leadership wrangles within the association.
Mr Kyambia released the accused persons on a bond of Sh100,000 and an alternative cash bail of Sh50,000. The case will be mentioned on June 29, 2023 before hearing starts on October 2, 2023.
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