MANDEVILLE, Jamaica — A brazen corruption and forgery ring operating out of a regional traffic services facility has landed two men — one sitting justice of the peace and one decommissioned JP — in police custody, facing a raft of criminal charges that have raised serious questions about public trust in the honorary office in Jamaica.
The two accused have been identified as 46-year-old Marvin Dean, a resident of Cross Keys and Newport in Manchester Parish, and 64-year-old Dudley Powell, a local businessman based in Glenco, Spalding, along the shared border of Clarendon and Manchester parishes. Dean, who had already been stripped of his JP commission earlier in 2024 over accusations of charging unauthorized fees for official JP services, now faces 12 separate criminal charges, while Powell, the current sitting JP, faces four counts.
Law enforcement officials confirm the pair were taken into custody during a targeted police operation carried out last week at the Mandeville Service Hub operated by the Island Traffic Authority. Investigators allege the men had been posing as licensed medical professionals to illegally sign off on mandatory health check requirements for driver’s licence applications, collecting illegal payments from applicants in exchange for the fraudulent signatures. The coordinated arrests were executed on May 18 as part of a broader ongoing probe into misconduct by officials in the JP system.
Following their detention, Dean was formally charged on Thursday with offenses including impersonating a medical doctor, cheating public revenue, uttering forged documents, possession of falsified official materials, forgery of a government seal, using a forged notary public seal, obtaining funds through false pretence, conspiracy to commit fraud, attempted bribery, and possession of a forged official stamp. The following day, Powell was charged with cheating public revenue, conspiracy, fraudulent use of an official government seal, and misconduct in a public office. Both men are scheduled to make their first court appearance at the Manchester Parish Court next Wednesday.
Garfield Green, the Custos of Manchester, confirmed to local media that Dean had been decommissioned from his post as a justice of the peace earlier this year specifically over claims he was charging residents for access to JP services, which are required by law to be provided free of charge to the public. Speaking to the Jamaica Observer on Friday, Green noted that the unfolding case carries significant risks to public confidence in the integrity of the justice of the peace office, adding that his administrative team is collaborating fully with law enforcement to advance the investigation.
Green also revealed that the charges against Dean and Powell are not an isolated incident: multiple other allegations of improper conduct by sitting and former JPs have emerged, which have already prompted a wider police investigation into systemic misconduct in the region.
To help the public protect themselves from fraudulent activity, Green issued a public reminder of core rules governing official JP documentation. He explained that all official documents signed by a justice of the peace — with the sole exception of photo authentication — require an official government-issued seal to be considered valid. When a JP receives their commission, they are provided with an official government seal, which must be affixed to every document they sign; any document that bears only a signature without the required seal is not legally valid, Green emphasized.
Green clarified that while it is not illegal for JPs to use custom rubber stamps to reduce repeated handwriting on routine forms, these stamps do not replace the requirement for an official seal. He also reiterated that no JP is authorized to charge any fee for any service provided in their official capacity as a justice of the peace. “There is not one single thing a JP can do for you out of the office of a justice of the peace that costs you a penny,” Green stated.
In closing, Green called on members of the public to collaborate with authorities to root out ongoing misconduct, noting that while investigators have received widespread anecdotal reports and rumors of illegal activity by corrupt JPs, tangible evidence from witnesses and victims is required to pursue formal action. “We need the public to work with us to provide evidence of any information that they have of persons carrying out illegal activities in this way. We have heard rumours and heard people making comments, but we need evidence to act on,” he added.