Man caught after allegedly pretending to sell house he didn’t own, steals $2.4M

A Central Village man who allegedly duped a hopeful homebuyer out of $2.4 million in a bogus house sale has been slapped with fraud charges, after months of pretending to own an empty property in his community.

The accused has been identified as 24-year-old Jaheim Douglas, of Central Village, St Catherine. He has been charged with obtaining money by means of false pretence following an incident that unfolded between October 2024 and April 2025.

Reports from the Central Village police are that Douglas pretended to be the proprietor of an unoccupied house, telling a man that the property was for sale. He allegedly collected two million four hundred thousand dollars from the man as payment.

But things took a turn when the would-be buyer made several attempts to secure the necessary documents for the house. Police say Douglas refused to hand over the paperwork.

A report was made to the police and an investigation launched. Douglas later turned himself in, and was subsequently charged following a question-and-answer session in the presence of his attorney.

His court date is now being finalised.

We want to hear from you! Email us at star@gleanerjm.com and follow @thejamaicastar on Instagram and on X @JamaicaStar and on Facebook: @TheJamaicaStar, or on Whatsapp @ 876-550-250