SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine — A person who admitted to utilizing the official seal of a justice of the peace (JP) to unlawfully certify paperwork was fined $350,000 or face 21 months behind bars when he appeared within the St Catherine Parish Court docket on Tuesday.
The person, Mark Anderson, was slapped with two fees: unauthorized possession of a justice of the peace seal, and unauthorized use of a justice of the peace seal.
On the possession cost, Anderson was fined $200,000 or 12 months’ imprisonment, whereas on the cost of unauthorized use, he was ordered to pay $150,000 or serve 9 months.
The court docket heard that Anderson’s arrest stemmed from an intelligence-driven operation carried out by police in August 2024. He was apprehended on the Spanish City bus park alongside Burke Highway, the place the illicit seal was additionally seized.
Additional investigations led to the arrest of a justice of the peace, who was charged with allowing the unauthorized use of the seal. Nonetheless, the Crown later provided no proof in that case and the JP was discharged.
Authorities proceed to warning the general public in opposition to partaking in or facilitating fraudulent doc certification, noting that the misuse of JP credentials is a critical offence that undermines public belief.
