MONTEGO BAY, St James — With a May trial date now set, a St James woman is preparing to answer allegations that she submitted a falsified property valuation to the court while attempting to stand as surety for two men in custody. During the trial, the court will decide whether the document was intentionally falsified or if there is another explanation for the discrepancy in values.

Desreen Clarke is scheduled to return to the parish court on May 6, when her case for uttering a forged document is set to proceed.

The hearing date was set, Wednesday, by Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton who also extended Clarke’s bail conditions. The defendant remains represented by attorney Charles Sinclair Jr.

The matter stems from Clarke’s attempt to act as surety for two individuals who were in custody. On May 27, 2025 she presented supporting paperwork at the court office, including a property valuation report allegedly issued by a loss-adjusting firm based in Montego Bay. The document stated that the property in question had a market value of $880,000.

However, routine verification checks carried out by authorities later indicated a substantially different valuation. Investigators concluded that the property was actually valued at approximately $470,000 — nearly half the figure listed in the submitted report.

The discrepancy immediately raised concerns about the authenticity of the valuation document and triggered further scrutiny by investigators.

Clarke was subsequently arrested and charged.