An unverified news coming in says Liberian fraudster, Cassell Anthony Kouh has finally been released from prison in the United States and awaiting deportation to Liberia.
Kuoh, known as “Tim Borrol,” was sentenced in 2017 to 87 months (seven years) in prison in connection with an investment fraud scheme involving gold and diamonds, that defrauded victims of more than US$9.5 million.
He was ordered by presiding Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. to pay US$16.2 million as restitution, and subjected to face deportation proceedings upon the completion of his federal sentence.
Though it is yet to be established as to whether he has restituted the amount and has also gotten back his freedom, a viral Instagram message believed to be posted by Kouh’s wife, Charslyn Golu Kouh is being interpreted that Kouh has been released from Prison.
In the message, Charslyn Golu Kouh said, “Is there anything too hard for God cannot do. He said babe I signed my released papers.”
Kouh’s crimes
In announcing Kouh sentencing back then, U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose of the Western District of North Carolina said: “Kuoh was an extremely sophisticated fraudster who utilized Liberian government connections to help effectuate his fraud.
She said many of his victims, who are located in the Western District of North Carolina and throughout the world, will never recover from the devastating financial losses wrought by Kuoh’s fraudulent scheme.
“On behalf of those victims, we are delighted that Mr. Kuoh will be serving a significant sentence in the Federal Bureau of Prisons,” she added.
According to public records and statements made in open court, from June 2012 to December 2016, Kuoh orchestrated a fraudulent scheme involving the purchase, shipment and export of unrefined gold and rough diamonds allegedly located in Liberia.
Kuoh was a Liberian national who lived in Liberia and owned Phoenix Mining and Investment Group (Phoenix Mining), which purported to be in the precious metal and gemstone business.
According to court records, Kuoh convinced victims to invest with Phoenix Mining by promising, among other things, that their money would be used to purchase, ship, and transfer gold and diamonds from Liberia into the United States, to be refined or cut and sold for profit.
As part of the scheme, Kuoh and his co-conspirators invited victims to Africa to visit the mining operations, which had been set up by Kuoh to look legitimate and profitable, and to inspect the gold and diamonds, which Kuoh had borrowed from others.
While in Liberia, the court documents noted that Kuoh and his co-conspirators also arranged meetings between potential victim investors and alleged custodians of gold.
In at least one instance, Kuoh set up armed personnel to deliver large quantities of gold bars for inspection by potential investors, which convinced multiple victims that Kuoh did in fact own large quantities of gold.
Kuoh also visited victims in the United States, bringing with him samples of gold to lull potential investors into believing that the gold and diamond import scheme was legitimate.
Kuoh and his co-conspirators also provided victim investors with false, forged and fraudulent documents purported to be from various organizations in the U.S, Liberia and elsewhere; using fraudulent documents to create the false impression that the Liberian government required additional monies be paid, before the necessary approvals were given to allow the shipment of the gold and diamonds to proceed.
Contrary to Kuoh’s representations to his victims, the gold and diamonds never arrived in the United States, and were never held by U.S. Customs or any other agency.
“In reality, Kuoh used the investors’ money to fund his personal lifestyle, including to purchase a house in Harrisburg, North Carolina, and to pay for other expenditures,” the documents recorded, as on March 8, 2017, Kuoh pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
