MONEY LAUNDERING BIG BUSINESS IN SMALL BELIZE

James Gerou is back in police custody. The thirty-seven year old American baseball player allegedly got away from the Queen Street station on Friday before police could charge him in connection with the discovery of over a million and a half dollars, mostly in Belize currency in the biggest case of money laundering to be known. His common-law wife and attorney maintained that Gerou did not escape, but rather left voluntarily because he was not detained or informed that he would be charged. Because the police indicated last week that Gerou was a suspect, it was expected that he would appear in court today. However, at the close of court Gerou was once again a no-show. News Five understands that the authorities did not prepare a charge sheet in time for today’s session. He is now expected to go to court on Tuesday. On Friday Gerou’s common-law wife, Melonie Coye along with her parents Marlene and Michael, were charged with Money Laundering. This followed a raid at their home on Johnson Street in Belize City on New Year’s Eve in which police discovered large sums of cash stashed inside a suitcase in one of the bedrooms. The family, which operates the business, MoneyGram, claims that the funds are legal and that during the business Christmas season, they just didn’t have time to deposit it. Police are still on the lookout for Melonie’s brother, Jude Coye, in connection with the crime.