A Guyanese television reporter who was convicted of uttering forged documents in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has been ordered to leave the territory by Governor Daniel Pruce, following a criminal conviction that resulted in a two-year suspended prison sentence.
Cathyoliva O. Richards, a senior reporter with Japhix Entertainment’s JTV, was ordered deported under Statutory Instrument 2026 No. 63, dated October 20 and published in the territory’s Official Gazette on October 22, according to a report by Virgin Islands News Online.
The order directs Richards to leave the territory within 30 days of being served with a copy of the order and to remain outside the British Virgin Islands thereafter.
The deportation order follows Richards’ conviction in July 2025 for uttering forged documents submitted in connection with work-permit renewal applications to the Department of Labour and Workforce Development in 2021. Her colleague, production assistant Hitesh Yadram, who faced charges arising from the same matter, was found not guilty.
Two-year suspended sentence
Richards was sentenced on January 16, 2026, by High Court Justice Angelica Teelucksingh to two years’ imprisonment, suspended. The sentence meant she would not immediately serve prison time, subject to the applicable conditions of the suspension.
The case arose from documentation submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when additional paperwork was required for work-permit renewals. Prosecutors alleged that a forged certificate of earnings from the Social Security Board had been submitted as part of the process.
Richards had worked with JTV since 2016 and had lived in the British Virgin Islands since 2012, according to reporting by The BVI Beacon. Her conviction raised the possibility of deportation because of the territory’s immigration laws governing non-belongers convicted of certain offences.
The deportation order now requires Richards to leave the territory within the stipulated 30-day period after service of the order and prohibits her from returning thereafter, according to the published report.
