Natural Resources Police Charge Annapolis Man for Forgery

Stopping a scheme to defraud the state and nabbing a man who shot at a deer decoy highlighted recent enforcement activities by the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

An Annapolis man has been charged with 11 counts of forgery, perjury and tax evasion in connection with the sale of a boat to a local sailing school.

Frederick Vallette Hanlon, 53, is accused of falsifying state documents when he sold a boat to the Annapolis Sailing Center in order to pocket $600 in state excise tax.

He is scheduled to appear in Anne Arundel County District Court Jan. 9 for a preliminary hearing, according to a criminal summons signed Wednesday by a court commissioner.

Charging documents say the sailing center found a classified listing July for a 20-foot inflatable boat owned by Hanlon. He agreed to sell the boat, outboard engine and trailer for $17,000.

The buyer wrote a $1,000 check for the down payment. Later that month, a center official wrote a check for the balance, which included $850 for the excise tax and $26 for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources title fee and annual boat registration, charging documents say.

Despite persistent requests from the center, it took Hanlon nearly four months to send the new title and registration sticker for the boat, which are required to operate a vessel on state waters. When the documents arrived in early November, a sailing center official noticed numerous errors and that his signature was forged.

The most glaring error, however, was that the boat’s sale price was listed as $5,000 instead of the actual amount paid, which reduced the state excise tax from $876 to $276.

The center contacted state officials, who alerted investigators.

Perjury and forgery each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Evading the state excise tax is punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

An Allegany County man was charged Saturday after he shot at a deer decoy set up by officers.

Michael Leslie Pannone Jr., 47, of Cumberland, received citations for shooting across a road and failing to wear fluorescent orange in Green Ridge State Forest.

At about 7:20 a.m., a white truck drove slowly by where the officers were positioned and stopped. When the officers heard a shot, they approached Pannone, who was standing along the road near the decoy.

Pannone is scheduled to appear in Allegany County District Court Feb. 21. If found guilty of both violations, he could be fines as much as $450.