A US national, Sergio Patrick Antonucci, has been charged in a Nairobi court with defrauding a Kenyan businessman, Tanner Caldwell Cook, of 1,271,200.74 US dollars in a fraudulent gold deal.
Appearing before Milimani Chief Magistrate Susan Situbi, Antonucci denied two criminal charges: conspiracy to commit a felony and obtaining money by false pretenses.
The charges stem from an alleged scheme in which Antonucci, alongside others not before the court, falsely claimed to facilitate the sale of 2,820 kilograms of gold to Cook.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the offenses took place between March 31 and May 30, 2024, in Nairobi, where Antonucci and his accomplices purportedly misled Cook into believing they could secure the gold sale, knowing that the offer was fraudulent.
The accused also faces a charge of obtaining 1,271,200.74 US dollars from Cook under the same false pretense he was to sell him the over 2000 kilograms of gold.
After the charges were read, Antonucci’s defense lawyer requested his release on bail, assuring the court that his client was willing to comply with any conditions, including depositing his passport and refraining from interfering with prosecution witnesses.
However, the prosecution opposed his release, arguing that Antonucci posed a flight risk as his permanent residence was unknown.
In response, Magistrate Situbi granted Antonucci bail, setting the amount at 10 million shillings with a surety of the same value.
