New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph A. Foster and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Christopher J. Wagner announce that Joan Joseph pled guilty on January 30, 2017 to violating RSA 260:14, the Driver Privacy Act, by disclosing protected driver-record information to an unauthorized person. She pled guilty to a violation-level offense and was sentenced to pay a $1,000 fine and a penalty assessment.

Ms. Joseph had access to the confidential information through her role as the Hancock Town Clerk. As a result of her arrest and prosecution in this matter, Ms. Joseph resigned from her Town Clerk position effective December 31, 2016.

The Driver Privacy Act establishes that the Division of Motor Vehicle's records are confidential. Only certain people and entities—including municipal motor vehicle registration agents—have access to the records and then only for certain purposes permitted by law. Violations of the law may be prosecuted as class A misdemeanors with a maximum possible punishment of up to 12 months in jail and a $2,000 fine. In addition, municipal agents who violate the provisions of the Driver Privacy Act may be barred from receiving motor vehicle records for a period of up to 5 years.