A high-stakes fraud case unfolding in Kingstown, Saint Vincent, has seen a mother and daughter enter not guilty pleas to dozens of financial deception charges, with authorities confirming more accusations are still to come. The pair — 35-year-old Morenike Cottle, a serving votes clerk, and 56-year-old unemployed Lisby Cottle, both residents of Vermont — appeared Monday before Chief Magistrate Colin John at the Serious Offences Court to answer to the initial 104 charges laid between them. Morenike Cottle faces 98 total charges so far, split into two distinct sets of financial offenses. Prosecutors allege she falsified 43 entries in the SMARTSTREAM accounting system, the official platform used by the Saint Vincent government to manage public payroll and disbursements. Each falsified entry wrongfully claimed between 300 and 800 Eastern Caribbean dollars (EC$) in unauthorized payments from the country’s Treasury Department for a roster of third-party beneficiaries. An additional 55 charges accuse Cottle of carrying out repeated dishonest schemes to obtain illegal pecuniary advantage through deception, with each transaction also falling in the EC$300 to EC$800 range, all siphoned from public funds. Among the third parties named as unintended beneficiaries of the alleged scheme are Nichanna Tamika Lewis, Sean Ronald Gilbert, Kenya Petra Ann Browne, Michael Carwess Smart, Perlina Blugh Luvinia Christopher, Marilyn St Eka Chance Shallow, John Rudolph Finch, and Khadilia Kengie Antonette Baptiste. Lisby Cottle, the elder defendant, faces six initial charges of deception connected to the same scheme. Prosecutors allege that between March and July 2024 (corrected from typo 2026) in Kingstown, she wrongfully obtained EC$450 per transaction for her own personal gain, linking her directly to the fraudulent activity carried out by her daughter. Grant Connell, the defense attorney representing both women, told the court during the hearing that he had been given confirmation the current charges only represent the first phase of the prosecution’s case, describing the existing counts as “volume one” of the total accusations expected to be filed. When Connell asked for clarification on the number of pending additional charges, lead case investigator Inspector Biorn Duncan confirmed that more than 20 new charges will be formally brought against the pair in the coming weeks. Connell requested an adjournment of the proceedings to allow time for preparation, and also applied for bail with a surety, arguing that his two clients have deep, permanent community and family ties to the jurisdiction of Saint Vincent that make them low flight risk. Renwick Coto, the lead prosecutor, did not raise any formal objection to the bail application. However, he requested specific conditions to be attached to the release: that both women comply with regular police reporting requirements, and that they surrender all valid travel documents to the court to prevent any attempt to leave the jurisdiction ahead of trial. Chief Magistrate John granted the bail request, approving a composite bail amount of EC$5,000 for each defendant, with one surety required for each. In addition to the bail terms, the court formally ordered the pair to report on a regular basis to the Vermont Police Station, and to hand over all travel documents to the court clerk as requested by the prosecution. The entire case has been adjourned to October 12, when the next hearing will take place to accommodate the pending additional charges and allow both sides to prepare for trial proceedings.
More charges coming for mother-daughter duo hit with 100-plus counts
