NCIC Record Reveals Active Federal Supervision Warnings as Local Forgery Scheme Moves to Track 3
By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
FREDERIKSTED — Jimmar A. Payne, the 33-year-old White Lady resident accused of operating a sophisticated black-market vehicle registration ring, is not letting his white-collar case quietly languish in the backrooms of the Superior Court.
Following his voluntary surrender to detectives from the VIPD’s Economic Crimes Unit on December 17, 2025, Payne had cash in hand, a defense attorney at his side, and an aggressive legal strategy ready for the dockets.
Newly acquired court documents reveal that instead of dragging out the pre-trial process, Payne has formally pled not guilty and exercised his constitutional right to demand a speedy jury trial.
$5,505 Cash Up Front
According to VIPD arrest logs, Payne surrendered to detectives at the Wilbur H. Francis Command at approximately 11:11 a.m. on December 17, 2025. He was processed, photographed, and served with an outstanding arrest warrant signed by Judge Venetia Velazquez.
At 11:18 a.m., Payne signed his formal Warning as to Rights.
But he did not spend the night in a cell. Payne was prepared for the arrest, immediately posting a fully secured $5,505.00 cash bail bond to secure his release from custody. Listing his residence at #3B White Lady in Frederiksted, Payne walked out of the police precinct a free man that afternoon.
The Federal Probation Red Flag
While local prosecutors are focusing entirely on the six white-collar counts—which allege Payne used forged Road Tax bills and the falsified signature of a retired Internal Revenue Bureau employee to register at least nine vehicles—his federal background is casting a long shadow over the proceedings.
National Crime Information Center (NCIC) records generated during his arrest reveal that Payne is currently under active federal supervision.
The NCIC system returned a prominent Probation/Supervised Release Status flag stemming from a prior federal firearm conviction. The federal alert warns local law enforcement: “PLEASE CONTACT FEDERAL PROBATION/PRETRIAL OFFICER WITHIN 24 HOURS IF AN INQUIRY OR CONTACT IS MADE CONCERNING THIS SUBJECT…”
Payne’s federal record includes a high-profile January 2022 arrest on the Melvin Evans Highway, where St. Croix police caught him carrying an unlicensed firearm in the immediate vicinity of Ricardo Richards Elementary School.
Whether this fresh round of six local felony forgery charges will trigger a federal probation revocation remains to be seen.
No Extensions: Case Moved to Track Three
On the morning of December 18, 2025, Payne made his initial appearance before Superior Court Judge Yolan C. Brow Ross via Zoom.
Represented by defense attorney Dwayne Henry, Esq., Payne wasted no time:
- He formally waived the reading of the six-count criminal Information.
- He entered a firm not guilty plea to all charges, including grand forgery, computer fraud, and filing false instruments.
- He demanded a speedy trial by jury.
Recognizing the defendant’s request, Judge Brow Ross officially assigned the case to Track Three, placing it on a strict 270-day window to disposition. Under the court’s scheduling order, the Office of the Attorney General must provide initial discovery materials within thirty days.
The court warned both the government and the defense that scheduling dates will not be easily extended, noting that failure to proceed as ordered will result in immediate court sanctions.
The matter has been assigned to Superior Court Judge Ernest E. Morris, Jr. While a discovery conference was held in March 2026, the newly entered status conference orders indicate the territory is steadily marching this white-collar case toward a jury trial.
Meanwhile, as mentioned above, the legal proceedings are advancing against Payne, who is accused of orchestrating a black-market vehicle registration scheme through the Virgin Islands Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV).
On July 13, 2026, Superior Court Clerk of the Court Tamara Charles entered a Notice of Entry of Order in the matter of People of the Virgin Islands v. Jimmar Payne (Case No. SX-2025-CR-00308). According to the filing, which was prepared and signed by Court Clerk II Janeen Maranda, an Order Scheduling Status Conference was officially issued, establishing the next critical administrative step in the White-Collar Crime prosecution.
The notice was dispatched to White-Collar Crime and Public Corruption Unit Director Patricia Lynn Pryor, Esq., and defense attorney Truman Elbert Coe, Esq.
Inside the Multi-Count Criminal Docket
The white-collar prosecution was formalized when the Attorney General’s office submitted a comprehensive six-count criminal Information against Estate White Lady resident Payne. The charges, filed on November 25, 2025, include:
- Count One: Forgery (14 V.I.C. § 791 (1) and (2))
- Count Two: Passing or Possession of Forged Bills or Notes (14 V.I.C. § 792 (1))
- Count Three: Filing or Recording Forged Instruments (14 V.I.C. § 795)
- Count Four: Participating in Frauds on Creditors (14 V.I.C. § 833 (1))
- Count Five: Fraudulent Claims Upon the Government (14 V.I.C. § 843 (a) (1), (2), (3), and (4))
- Count Six: Access to Computer for Fraudulent Purposes (14 V.I.C. § 461 (a) (1) and (2))
The Information asserts that between October 2024 and January of 2025, Payne knowingly and with the intent to defraud the Government of the Virgin Islands did falsely make, alter, forge, utter, publish, or pass forged Road Tax bills and other governmental documents.
The Cost of the Forgery
According to prosecutors, the fraudulent paperwork bore the forged name of a retired employee of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Payne allegedly used these counterfeited documents to successfully obtain registrations and titles for at least nine separate vehicles. The scheme bypassed mandatory payments and caused the Bureau of Motor Vehicles a documented total financial loss of $4,906.40.
Additionally, the territory alleges that Payne intentionally accessed a computer system or computer network to execute the fraudulent registration plot, triggering the high-level computer fraud charges.
With the Status Conference now officially scheduled on St. Croix, both the prosecution and defense are set to outline their progress before the court.
