Accountant Rommel Sofia pleaded guilty to stealing from his company in the Virgin Islands. VIRGINISLANDSNEWS.COM
SAN FRANCISCO – A Filipino accountant in Tortola, Virgin Islands, November 16 pleaded guilty to several charges of financial misdeeds after he was accused of stealing money from Island Services Limited, Pasea, where he was employed.
In addition to pleading guilty to three charges against him, Rommel Sofia informed Magistrate Ayana Baptiste-DaBreo through his lawyer, Valerie Stephens-Gordon, that he would pay back the sum of $24,975.37 he stole from his employer. The case returns to the court on November 25, 2015 for mitigation and sentencing, according to a report by VirginIslandsnews.com.
Stephens-Gordon told the court she had a check made to the Accountant General for $24,975.37 for the purpose of making restitution. She argued that once restitution is made the items being held by the police, such as jewelry thought to be proceeds of the alleged crime, must be returned to Sofia.
However, Magistrate DaBreo would only accept the check and have the jewelry returned after further investigation.
Sofia faces charges of theft, false accounting and concealing and transferring proceeds of a criminal nature since the amount of $24,499.63 was allegedly removed from the territory in a criminal conduct. Sofia allegedly stole some $675 daily on average.
He was on vacation in the Philippines while the investigations were being done at Island Services and it was on his return to the territory that he was told of the allegations against him and arrested on July 1, 2015.
Sofia reportedly admitted that he had bought a farm and residential lots and private properties in the Philippines and stole the money to keep up with the mortgages for them. He also allegedly used some of the money to expand a jewelry business he owns.
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