Wanted Immigration Cashier Believed to Be in the U.S.

A wanted poster is out for Jason Flowers. He is a former Immigration Department cashier accused of walking away with more than $160,000 in public funds, and according to officials, he’s no longer even in the country.

The scheme reportedly played out at the Belize City Immigration office, where Flowers allegedly cancelled a string of receipts and kept the cash for himself rather than turning it over. Immigration Minister Kareem Musa confirmed that the government has now called in the Office of the Auditor General to conduct a full audit and figure out exactly how much money is really missing.

Musa said the ministry’s own internal review has wrapped up. That process included a statement from the ministry’s finance officer to police, which was enough to trigger a wanted poster for Flowers. Investigators now believe he’s in the United States, and he has since been terminated.

There’s already enough evidence, Musa said, to bring charges over a portion of the cancelled and reversed invoices uncovered so far. But rather than move forward piecemeal, the ministry wants the complete picture first, which is why the Auditor General’s team has been brought in to trace the full extent of the fraud before any charges are filed.