Promoter Andrew Wright, Former INSPORTS Colleagues Convicted in $222M Fraud Scheme

Kingston – Promoter Andrew Wright, known for popular events such as French Connection and the beach fiesta Chug It, was yesterday found guilty of multiple fraud-related charges in the Home Circuit Court, stemming from a $222-million scheme uncovered at INSPORTS.

Wright, who served as INSPORTS’ financial controller, was convicted alongside former colleagues Rudolph Barnes and Oneil Hope. Wright was found guilty on 10 counts of conspiracy to defraud, as well as one count each of engaging in a criminal transaction, corruption, and facilitating the retention of criminal property. Barnes was convicted on 10 counts of conspiracy to defraud and one count of corruption, while Hope was found guilty on six conspiracy charges and one count of acquiring criminal property. All three men were remanded and are scheduled for sentencing on November 21.

The case centred on allegations that the trio, as part of a wider network of current and former INSPORTS employees, orchestrated the creation and cashing of fraudulent cheques made out to individuals who were neither employed by nor contracted to the agency.

The scheme came to light following a 2017 internal audit, which was referred to the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA). The agency conducted a lengthy investigation, ultimately resulting in the arrests and charges. Wright was taken into custody in April 2023 while attending an unrelated Industrial Disputes Tribunal case.

Three female co-defendants – Andrea Picton, Sherene Farquharson, and Jonnique Mills – were acquitted in recent days. Picton and Farquharson, both former INSPORTS accounting clerks, and Mills, who had also faced multiple charges, were cleared of conspiracy and corruption allegations.

Attorneys for Wright and Hope have indicated plans to appeal the convictions.