Is Hannigan DMV forgery case headed to a plea deal in higher court?

FRONT ROYAL – In a brief Tuesday afternoon General District Court hearing the Commonwealth nolle prossed (dropped) two of three felony counts against Town of Front Royal Public Works Director Carl James “Jimmy” Hannigan and certified a third to the grand jury. The grand jury will consider the evidence in the remaining Class 6 felony charge of altering, falsification or forgery of a DMV title transfer on May 7 at 2 p.m.

If convicted of a felony the 38-year-old Hannigan faced termination from Town employment. However, on March 14 Front Royal Town Manager Joe Waltz confirmed that Hannigan had tendered his resignation effective at the end of the work day on Friday, April 6. Hannigan has been with the Town since October 2004, and has been director of public works since February 7, 2012. The department he has overseen for six years includes trash and recycling collection, street and vehicle maintenance, water and wastewater treatment, horticulture, and construction and design project review.

Jimmy Hannigan, foreground, on the job at a March 5 town council work session. Royal Examiner File Photo/Roger Bianchini

Following the April 3 general district court hearing neither defense attorney Eric Wiseley nor Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Fleming would comment on the potential of a plea agreement on the remaining charge should the grand jury certify the case to circuit court for trial. The remaining count is the lesser of the three charges Hannigan faced in the wake of the sale of an automobile that was disputed property in a divorce proceeding last year.

The two dropped charges – knowingly utilizing a forged document and forgery of a vehicle title “to the prejudice of another’s rights” – were Class 5 felony counts. The remaining charge – altering, falsifying or forging a motor vehicle title with fraudulent intent – is a Class 6 felony. Following the hearing Fleming explained the difference in sentencing ranges at the top end upon conviction. Class 5 felonies carry a sentencing range of one to 10 years in prison; Class 6 felonies, one to five years.

Hannigan was arrested and charged on the three forgery-related counts surrounding the vehicle sale on January 8, 2018. The criminal complaint lists the date of the offense as “on or about September 7, 2017.” That date corresponds to the conclusion of the divorce hearing between Jimmy and Danielle Hannigan, according to the former Mrs. Hannigan.

Hannigan’s attorney Wisely has described the disputed vehicle as a 1998 Honda C-RV that both his client and his ex-wife used, with about 200,000 miles on it. Danielle Hannigan later told Royal Examiner that she purchased the car with her money but had her husband co-sign the title so they would have a legal joint property – something that during happier days she called “a neat idea”.

The charges appear to revolve around the presence of Danielle Hannigan’s alleged signature on the September 7, 2017 sale and title transfer. The language used by DMV Special Agent R. A. Brooks in the criminal complaints states that, “Carl James Hannigan, Jr. reassigned a title (title #) in the name and signature of Danielle Hannigan without the knowledge or consent of Danielle Hannigan and transacted said title to Avery Burroughs.”

“I don’t want to see him go to jail for it – I would just like to see the situation involving the car put right,” Danielle Hannigan told Royal Examiner last month.