FREDERIKSTED — A black market scheme to register nine vehicles at the BMV without paying has been exposed by local law enforcement.
Jimmar Ateebo Payne, 32, was arrested and charged with forgery, passing or possession of forged
bills or notes, filing or recording forged instruments, participating on frauds on creditors, fraudulent claims upon the government and access to computer for fraudulent purposes, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case began on March 25, 2025, detectives with the Economic Crimes Unit began investigating Payne’s involvement in a fraudulent road tax scheme, according to the VIPD.
The investigation revealed that Jimmar Payne knowingly created several forged or fraudulent Road Tax documents, which contained a forged or falsified signature of a retired employee of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
He subsequently passed the false or forged documents at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a U.S. Virgin Islands government agency, to have at least nine vehicles registered, causing the Bureau of Internal Revenue the loss.
On December 17, 2025, at approximately 11:11 a.m., Payne was present at the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Operations Building in Mars Hill, with his attorney where he turned himself into the detectives from the Virgin Islands Police Department Economic Crime Unit.
Payne was then served with a warrant for his arrest and detained without incident. He was subsequently booked and processed.
Bail for Payne was set at $5,500.00, Payne posted bail and he was released, He was scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court today.