A man was arrested after an Economic Crime Unit investigation found he fraudulently purchased and registered vehicles using another person’s identity, the Virgin Islands Police Department reported.
Jeffery Howard, 65, was arrested after investigators determined he used a complainant’s name, signature, identification, and business credentials to purchase multiple vehicles from Metro Motors. The investigation began in August 2023 following a complaint alleging unauthorized use of personal and business information, accoding to the police report.
Police said Howard also fraudulently registered one of the vehicles in the complainant’s name with the Virgin Islands Bureau of Motor Vehicles and later sold and transferred the vehicle to another individual without the complainant’s knowledge or consent, the police report stated.
An arrest warrant was issued Dec. 30, 2025, by a Magistrate Judge, and bail was set at $100,000, police said. After being notified of the warrant on Feb. 5, Howard surrendered at the Economic Crime Unit office, the report stated.
Howard was charged with forgery, obtaining money or property by false pretense, identity theft, filing or recording forged instruments, and fraudulent claims upon the government. He was transported to Richard Callwood Central Command for processing and was unable to post bail, police said. He was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections, where he remains pending an advice of rights hearing, the report stated.
