Talent manager Annabelle Rama, the mother of celebrity siblings Ruffa, Richard, and Raymond Gutierrez, has been sued for estafa by her cousin, businessman Jose Vicente Rama del Prado Jr., on August 1.

According to a report on Cebu Daily News, Annabelle had issued a check worth P1.5 million to Jose Vicente on January 27. A month after Annabelle’s failed campaign for the Cebu City representative post, Jose Vicente’s brother Alfonso brought the check to the back to cash it out, only to find out that her Banco de Oro checking account was already closed.

Annabelle was reported to have previously asked Jose Vicente to convert her checks into cash, and he says their previous transactions were successful.

According to Jose Vicente, Annabelle refused to answer his calls. As a result, he asked his lawyer, Atty. Mark Elton Garrote, to send her a final demand letter on June 18 through the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. Jose Vicente is now asking for P500,000 in damages at 12 percent per year legal interest until the whole P1.5 million is settled.

“I never expected a first cousin and a close friend at that to defraud me with bouncing checks in the same way that she might have defrauded other people,” Jose Vicente said. “Until this very day and in spite of Annabelle's receipt of the Notices of Dishonor that were served at her residence, she still refused to make good or replace the bouncing checks that she issued me.”

However, Annabelle’s Cebu-based lawyer, Delon Richel Urot, says they still don’t know about Jose Vicente’s complaint against her client.“She has not referred that case to me as of now. I can't comment on that,” she had said.

(Photo courtesy of PEP.ph)