MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Two men facing a raft of criminal charges tied to an alleged driver’s license fraud scheme have been released on bail following a Wednesday hearing at the Manchester Parish Court.
The accused are 46-year-old Marvin Dean, a retired justice of the peace (JP) who resides in Manchester’s Cross Keys and Newport communities, and 64-year-old Dudley Powell, a sitting JP and active businessman based in Glenco, Spalding, along the shared border of Clarendon and Manchester parishes. Both men were charged last week following a coordinated police operation that took place at the Island Traffic Authority’s Mandeville Service Hub on May 18, where authorities took them into custody.
Presiding judge Monique Harrison set bail at $600,000 for Dean and $400,000 for Powell, with strict pretrial conditions attached to their release. As part of the bail agreement, Dean is required to check in with officers at the Newport Police Station every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while Powell must complete the same check-in protocol at the Spalding Police Station on the same scheduled days. Both men have been ordered to surrender all valid travel documents, and Jamaican authorities have issued a formal stop order across all national ports of entry and exit to block any attempt to leave the country ahead of trial.
Legal representation for the hearing was split between local attorneys: Odane Marston appeared on behalf of Powell, while Rodain Richardson and Amy Dunkley represented Dean.
The charges against the pair stem from allegations that they posed as licensed medical doctors to illegally sign off on mandatory health checks required for new driver’s license applications. Investigators filed 12 separate criminal charges against Dean last Thursday, including impersonating a medical professional, forgery of government and notary public seals, uttering forged documents, possession of falsified official paperwork, cheating public revenue, obtaining funds through false pretenses, conspiracy, attempted bribery, and possession of forged official stamps.
Powell was arraigned on four distinct charges the following day: cheating public revenue, conspiracy to commit fraud, misuse of an official seal for unlawful activity, and misconduct in public office, a charge tied to his ongoing role as a sitting justice of the peace.
The case is scheduled to return to Manchester Parish Court for a next hearing on July 1, as the investigation into the alleged fraud ring continues.