KINGSTON, Jamaica — A Clarendon taxi operator was on Sunday charged by with uttering forged documents.

The man, identified as 36-year-old Troy Graham, allegedly attempted to renew his driver’s licence on January 30 when it was discovered to be fraudulent.

He was subsequently charged and offered bail in the sum of $50,000 and is set to appear in the Chapelton Resident Magistrate’s Court on March 15.

A news release from the Revenue Protection Division (RPD) in the Ministry of Finance today disclosed that Graham’s arrest and charge brings to three, the total number of similar matters brought before that court by the RPD within the last six months.

In October 2016, a dressmaker of a Chapelton address pleaded guilty to a similar charge and paid an amount of $100,000. Then in December 2016, a farmer, also of a Chapelton address, was fined $30,000 or thirty days in prison, after pleading guilty to similar charges in October.

Commissioner of Revenue Protection, Major Johanna Lewin, said “It is against this background that the RPD is again warning members of the public against presenting fraudulent documents, or fraudulently obtained documents, to the Tax Administration Jamaica’s (TAJ) Tax Offices, as this is a criminal offence and offenders will be prosecuted”.

She added: “these three matters in a comparatively small geographic area reinforce the view that the use of fraudulent documents, the attendant risks to the public, losses to the revenue and general lawlessness is of serious concern and must be targeted by a multi-faceted and multi-agency approach.”

The division further encouraged the use of legitimate services provided by TAJ through its 29 Tax Offices island-wide, or its online service.