Visiting Judge Malcolm Swift handed down a seven and a half year sentence last Friday (6) to Michael Levitt (57), a South African national who stole over US$846,000 from local legal firm Solomon Harris.

Levitt had been employed there as the financial controller and he admitted to more than 80 fraudulent transactions from the accounts of the legal firm.

It was discovered at the trial Levitt had two previous convictions in his native South Africa. He had served a seven year sentence there for fraud, and also in Canada where he was also convicted of white collar theft.

Levitt had been able to conceal his criminal background from the Cayman Island authorities when he first came to work here on an emergency permit after Hurricane Ivan in October 2004.

He joined the local service club, Rotary Sunrise, and became president. It was there he met one of the partners of Solomon Harris who offered him the financial controller job.

He then attempted to live a lifestyle well above his earnings and systematically stole funds from his employer to supplement it.

Even though he did a number of voluntary works the judge was unmoved calling his volunteering as “hypocrisy”. He said Levitt’s offending was “systematic and prolonged” and dismissed explanations regarding his previous convictions. The judge said he was a person who made excuses for his criminal conduct and the case was a very serious breach of trust.

The court adjourned the confiscation hearing for three months to allow the crown to attempt to investigate what assets, if any, Levitt still has.

Up to date only around $200,000 of the stolen money has been returned.