Kiambu Court Frees American Woman Linked to Amazon Web Worker Ponzi Scheme

A Kiambu court has freed an American woman linked to the Amazon Web Worker Ponzi scheme.

While setting Stacey Marie Parker free on Monday, Kiambu Resident Magistrate Wilson Radin said there was no compelling evidence to charge the suspect of the alleged offenses.

Stacey, 50, was arrested upon landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi from the US on May 28th.

Detectives linked her to the syndicate after investigations revealed that she had pay-bill accounts in her name that had a balance of Sh50 million, believed to be deposits made by Amazon Web Worker victims.

Stacey, who has been in police custody since her arrest, was set to face money laundering, and computer fraud, among other charges.

It emerged that Stacey is a mental health counselor based in Houston, Texas. She was featured in Top 30 Influential Woman of Houston 2018.

In a well-coordinated Ponzi scheme, investors were duped into investing their money in an online app known as Amazon Web Worker, on the premise that they would earn huge profits of up to 38% for a deposit lasting only 7 days.

In one advertisement, investors who deposited Sh100,000 were promised Sh351,000 after 30 days.
 
Hundreds of unsuspecting Kenyans downloaded the app, registered, and made their deposits while referred their spouses, children, and close friends to the scheme in a bid to make a fortune overnight.

“It is not until when the app was deleted from the internet without prior notice, that the investors discovered they had been duped. They were shocked to learn that the app was not in any way linked to Amazon, a multinational technology company based in the United States,” DCI said last month.

“The app went down with deposits worth hundreds of millions of shillings from gullible investors, who had hoped to hit the jackpot, once their deposits earned profits.”