St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands — February 22, 2026 — The Virgin Islands Police Department’s
Economic Crime Unit has arrested a St. Thomas man in connection with an extensive fraud
investigation involving counterfeit and fictitious financial instruments.
In June 2024, the Economic Crime Unit initiated an investigation following a complaint filed
by Banco Popular de Puerto Rico. The complaint alleged that between January and June 2024,
Brett McClafferty deposited counterfeit and fraudulent checks drawn from entities in the
British Virgin Islands and issued bank drafts from his Discover account that were later subject
to stop-payment requests or returned for insufficient funds. Investigators determined that
funds were withdrawn and wired to third parties before the financial instruments were
returned unpaid.
The investigation revealed that twelve (12) fraudulent transactions totaling approximately
$888,500 were conducted through Mr. McClafferty’s business and personal accounts. Banco
Popular reported a confirmed financial loss exceeding $80,000. Several counterfeit checks
originating from the British Virgin Islands were flagged before funds could be withdrawn,
preventing additional losses.
On December 30, 2025, an arrest warrant for Brett McClafferty was issued by the Honorable
Julie S. Todman, with bail set at $150,000.00.
On February 21, 2026, the warrant was executed at Mr. McClafferty’s residence in St. Joseph
& Rosendahl by the VIPD Economic Crime Unit, with assistance from the Special Operations
Bureau, Criminal Investigation Bureau, the United States Postal Service, and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation.
Mr. McClafferty was placed under arrest and charged with:
- Grand Larceny
- Passing or Possession of Forged Bills
- Obtaining Money by False Pretenses
- Making and Passing Fictitious Bills and Notes
- Drawing and Delivering Worthless Checks
Following his arrest, Mr. McClafferty was transported to the Richard Callwood Central
Command for processing. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau
of Corrections, where he remains pending his Advice of Rights hearing.
Anyone with additional information related to this case is encouraged to contact the
Economic Crime Unit or dial 911.
