District of the Virgin Islands
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Dominican Republic Man Apprehended in a High-Speed Boat Chase Sentenced to 135 Months in Federal Prison for Trafficking over 1,000 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
St. Thomas – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that a Dominican Republic national was sentenced today in federal court on St. Thomas to 135 months in prison for trafficking over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine.
According to court documents, Dany Perez-Brito, 45, was one of three individuals apprehended on December 11, 2018 onboard a go-fast vessel loaded with over 5,000 bales containing a total of approximately 1,132 kilograms of cocaine. A United States Coast Guard (USCG) aircraft detected the go-fast style vessel about 65 nautical miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. After the boat was detected by USCG aircraft and maritime personnel, the go-fast vessel led authorities on a ten-hour chase in international waters between Puerto Rico and St. Thomas until the go-fast boat finally became dead in the water approximately 96 nautical miles north of St. Thomas. In court, Perez-Brito admitted to having conspired to transport the cocaine by boat from Venezuela to Puerto Rico, for which he expected to be paid $200,000.
This case was being investigated by the USCG, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith J. Edwards is prosecuting the case, which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Croix Man Sentenced to Prison for Aiding and Abetting Possession of a Firearm by a Defendant Under IndictmentRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that a St. Croix man, A’keem Stanley, age 27, appeared before Judge Wilma A. Lewis in District Court and was sentenced on the charge of Aiding and Abetting Possession of Firearm by Person Under Indictment. Judge Lewis sentenced Stanley to 14 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents, on November 4, 2016, Ameade Williams was charged by information with felony offenses in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. On May 23, 2018, the Superior Court entered an order releasing Williams into the custody of A’keem Stanley and required that they reside at Frederiksted, St. Croix residence. On May 25, 2018, Stanley signed a document acknowledging his consent and obligation to monitor Williams’ compliance with his terms of release as a third-party custodian.
During a search of the Frederiksted residence on September 11, 2018, while the charges were still pending against Williams, police seized a Kel-Tech pistol from the living room and a Taurus 9mm pistol in the bedroom where Stanley was located. The Kel-Tech firearm contained a magazine with 29 live rounds of ammunition. According to court documents, Williams, who was present, stated that the firearms belonged to him and that other persons had nothing to with the firearms.
During a post arrest interview, Stanley told police that he had made the arrangements to acquire possession of the Frederiksted residence where he and Williams resided and that he observed the firearms being brought into the residence two weeks earlier. However, Stanley did not report Williams’ possession of the firearm to appropriate officials, thus permitting Williams’ possession to remain undetected by law enforcement. Both firearms were manufactured outside of the United States Virgin Islands.
The Virgin Islands Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Subcontractor Employee Working at Cyril E. King Airport Pleads Guilty to Possessing with Intent to Distribute 4.6 Kilos of CocaineRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Keilin Lopez Lopez, 22, a resident of St. Thomas, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute approximately 4.6 kilograms of cocaine.
According to court documents, on July 31, 2020 at approximately 6:30 p.m., a Virgin Islands Port Authority employee witnessed a male tampering with a trashcan in a stall in the male restroom located inside the Cyril E. King terminal. Officers removed the trashcan from the wall, revealing an open recess in between both sides of the interior wall. One large, brick-shaped bundle and one small, brick-shaped bundle containing approximately 4.6 kilograms of cocaine was lying at the bottom of the recess where the trashcan was previously inserted.
Airport surveillance footage showed a male, later identified as Keilin Lopez Lopez, wearing a backpack enter the bathroom where the bundles were discovered. Officers located Mr. Lopez who is an employee for a company contracted to work on the airport remodel. After being
advised of his constitutional rights, Mr. Lopez waived them and stated he removed the trashcan from the wall in the restroom stall and placed the bundles inside the wall.Lopez faces up to 40 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $5,000,000.00. A sentencing date will be set by the Court.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juan Albino. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Thomas Man Sentenced After Marijuana, an AR-15, and Ammunition Found in Car Following an AccidentRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that a St. Thomas man was sentenced today to four years’ probation, a $1,000 fine, and 150 hours of community service for possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
According to court documents, Kahlid Blyden, 27, was involved in a car accident on August 21, 2020 in front of Rosa’s Place Bar and Restaurant. A Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) responding officer arrived to see one car. The responding officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the badly damaged car. Blyden, the only person in the vicinity, was standing by the open driver’s side door of the wrecked vehicle.
The officer observed a backpack covering the gas and brake pedals. When asked why a backpack was covering the operating pedals Blyden responded, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Officers proceeded to search the car. The backpack contained a large plastic bag of nearly one pound of marijuana. In the rear passenger floorboard behind the driver’s seat, officers located an AR-15 firearm and a box of ammunition. Blyden attempted to flee while being placed under arrest but was detained after a brief chase.
The Virgin Islands Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office of the Virgin Islands prosecuted the case.
St. Croix Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting a Minor with the Intent to Engage in Prostitution and Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that a St. Croix man, Zayvon Acoy, age 31, appeared before Magistrate Judge George W. Cannon, Jr., in District Court, and pleaded guilty on July 7, 2021 to one count of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in prostitution and sexual activity.
According to court documents, between May and July of 2017, the defendant, Zayvon Acoy, conspired with his co-defendant to transport Acoy’s minor-aged girlfriend (age 17) by vehicle from an area around Peter’s Rest in St. Croix to the co-defendant’s residence in an area of Beeston Hill in St. Croix, for the purpose of the co-defendant engaging the minor in unlawful sexual activity, specifically commercial sex. The minor entered the co-defendant’s residence and the co-defendant had sexual intercourse with the minor. After engaging the minor in unlawful sexual activity, the co-defendant gave Acoy cash in exchange for the co-defendant’s engagement with the minor.
Acoy is scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, 2021 and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Virgin Islands Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Everard E. Potter is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Nevada Resident Pleads Guilty to Being a Straw Firearms Purchaser of Firearms Confiscated at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. ThomasRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Michael Kelly, 30, a resident of Las Vegas, NV, pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking firearms in interstate and foreign commerce.
According to court documents, on April 16, 2016, Kelly purchased two firearms, a Romarm/Century Arms Draco caliber 7.62x39mm and a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W, from a firearms dealer in Las Vegas, NV. In purchasing the firearms, Kelly completed the necessary forms provided by the ATF, including the ATF Form 4473 for this purchase on April 16, 2016. On the Form 4473, the defendant stated that he was the actual buyer and was not purchasing the firearms for another person. After purchasing the firearms, Kelly provided the firearms to his co-defendant, Naeem Smith, who paid the defendant $1,200.00 for the purchase.
On April 25, 2016, Kelly purchased two firearms, a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W and a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W, from another firearms dealer in Las Vegas, NV. He completed the necessary forms provided by the ATF, including completing and signing the ATF Form 4473 for his purchase on April 25, 2016. In the form, Kelly stated that he was the actual buyer and was not purchasing the firearms for another person. After purchasing the firearms, Kelly provided the firearms to Naeem Smith, who paid the defendant $1,800.00 for the purchase.
On April 28, 2016, Naeem Smith traveled to St. Thomas, V.I. from Las Vegas, NV. At the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, V.I., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers inspected Naeem Smith’s checked bag and discovered multiple firearms, including the firearms that defendant Michael Kelly, had purchased for Naeem Smith described previously.
Kelly faces up to five-years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.00. A sentencing date will be set by the Court.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan Albino and is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.
St. Thomas Resident Pleads Guilty to Possessing MarijuanaRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Tashawn T.A. Warner, 24, resident of St. Thomas, V.I., pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of marijuana.
According to court documents, on December 11, 2020, Tashawn T.A. Warner was arrested on St. Thomas pursuant to a federal arrest warrant. Immediately prior to his arrest, Warner was observed loading bags into the trunk of a 2020 Gray Toyota Corolla registered to Warner in Florida with Florida license plates. After Warner closed the trunk and got into the Corolla, a Black Infinity G37x, drove up the hill towards Warner at a high rate of speed and stopped next to Warner’s vehicle. Warner exited the Corolla, removed the bags from the trunk of the Corolla, and placed something into the trunk of the G37x. Warner then briefly opened and closed one of the passenger side doors of the G37x, which then drove off. As Warner got back into the Corolla, he was arrested. At the time of his arrest Warner had $5,520 in the pocket of his pants.
Later, on December 11, 2020 federal agents obtained federal search warrants for both the Corolla and Infinity G37x. The Corolla contained the backpack that agents had previously seen Warner place into the vehicle, prior to his arrest. The backpack contained a glass jar containing two sandwich bags of approximately 90 grams of marijuana. The center console of the Corolla contained approximately $500 cash, a small scale, small baggies, and rolling papers.
Warner faces up to one-year imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000.00. He also agreed to forfeit his vehicle as part of the plea agreement. A sentencing date will be set by the Court.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan Albino.St. Thomas Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – King Bob Leonard, 28, of St. Thomas, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today.
According to Leonard’s plea agreement and other court documents, in January and February of 2018 Leonard conspired with others to distribute cocaine. He operated through a number of text messages that were seized as part of the investigation. Further, the investigation revealed that the defendant and others coordinated the delivery of between 400 and 500 grams of cocaine in St. Thomas, USVI.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.Tenth and Final Virgin Islands Defendant Involved in Complex Tax Fraud Scheme Convicted by St. Croix Jury in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
ST. CROIX, USVI – After a six-day trial, a federal jury yesterday evening found Jacinta Gussie, age 58 of St. Croix, guilty of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States; four counts of Theft of Government Money; and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today. Gussie faces up to 10 years in prison as a result of her convictions, with a mandatory minimum sentence of two years incarceration for Aggravated Identity Theft convictions, which must be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, plus a maximum fine of $250,000. In addition, the Defendant may be subject to payment of restitution to the Government.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the trial, from January 2011 to July 2012, Jacinta Gussie and others participated in a scheme to steal money from the United States Treasury by fraudulently obtaining federal income tax refunds. The scheme involved the acquisition of personal identifying information of individuals (i.e. name, social security number, and date of birth) used to electronically file falsified tax returns with a designation of refunds to the acquired bank accounts or debit cards. Defendant and her co-conspirators withdrew the deposited refunds. They subsequently spent the funds, using a debit card, or transferred the funds to other accounts, all for personal use. As a result of the scheme, approximately $44,000 of falsely-claimed returns were deposited into Gussie’s bank account. By means of the scheme, the defendants obtained over $400,000 in illegal tax refunds. The defendants also claimed additional refunds totaling in excess of $100,000 that were not paid.
Of ten defendants charged in the tax fraud scheme, Gussie is the tenth to be convicted. Nine others have entered guilty pleas, five of whom have been sentenced. The remaining defendants are Joanne V. Benjamin, Lynell Hughes, Thema Liverpool, and Nicolette Alexander, pending sentencing.
The case is the culmination of years of investigative work by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, which conducted a probe into a massive stolen identity refund fraud scheme perpetrated in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.Dominican Republic Man Charged with Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that a Dominican Republican national was arrested Friday, June 11, 2021, on St. Thomas on criminal charges related to allegedly illegally reentering the United States.
According to court documents, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents discovered Timoteo Upia-Frias, 73, living in a neighborhood on St. Thomas while conducting an operation investigating undocumented immigrants in the United States Virgin Islands.
Criminal and immigration records confirmed that on September 6, 2016, Timotero Upia-Frias was removed from the United States by ICE agents and returned to his native country, the Dominican Republic, following his conviction in the District Court of the United States in 2008 for possessing with intent to distribute heroin.
Upia-Frias is charged with illegal reentry pursuant to 8 U.S.C § 1326. If convicted, Upia-Frais faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI and ICE are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Payne is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Nigerian National Arrested for False Claim to United States CitizenshipRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS, USVI – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that a Nigerian national was arrested on June 4, 2021, at the Cyril E. King Airport on criminal charges related to her alleged misrepresentation that she was a United States citizen.
According to court documents, Ifeoma Inneh, 40, appeared at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection checkpoint at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on June 4, 2021. She was a ticketed passenger on a flight traveling to Newark, New Jersey. In primary and secondary inspection, Inneh told CBP officers that she was a citizen of the United States. The CBP officers determined that Inneh was not a citizen of the United States.
Inneh is charged with knowingly making a false claim to United States citizenship in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 911, and making material false statements to CBP Officers in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). If convicted, Inneh faces a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and CBP are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Shappert reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely a charging document and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Man Pleads Guilty After Arriving at Cyril E. King Airport with Nine Vacuum Sealed Packages of MarijuanaRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced on Tuesday that Kharim Moore pled guilty yesterday in federal court to possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
According to court documents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers were conducting screenings of arriving passengers at the Cyril E. King Airport on November 4, 2020 when Moore disembarked a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta, GA. He was selected for inspection and his carryon backpack was searched.
Officers discovered nine vacuum sealed packages with a green leafy substance inside that weighed approximately 3.48 kilograms. The substance tested positive for marijuana.
The Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and CBP investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Moore will be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum term of up to five years imprisonment.St. Croix Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempting to Smuggle Cocaine Thru the Henry E. Rohlsen AirportRead the Press Release
ST. CROIX, USVI - U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that yesterday, Zion Hazel, 24, of St. Croix, appeared before Visiting Judge Anne E. Thompson in U.S. District Court on St. Croix and was sentenced to 27 months in prison on the charge of Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine with Intent to Distribute.
According to court documents, on April 12, 2018, Zion Hazel, along with co-defendants Keithley Parris and Don-Luke George, conspired to bring 2 kilograms of cocaine into the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport with the intent to transport the cocaine to Miami via American Airlines flight #2227. Specifically, George, who was employed at the airport, smuggled four bricks of cocaine into the passenger waiting area of the airport, and delivered them to Hazel in the handicap stall of the men’s restroom. Hazel was a passenger on the outgoing American Airlines flight but was intercepted with the cocaine prior to boarding his flight by Customs and Border Protection officers.
Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. The DEA Southeast Laboratory in Miami analyzed the cocaine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
St. Croix Man Previously Convicted of a Felony Pleads to Firearm Charge in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
ST. CROIX, USVI – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that yesterday, Lionel Woodley, 35, of St. Croix, appeared before Magistrate Judge George W. Cannon, Jr., in U.S. District Court on St. Croix and entered a guilty plea to the charge of Felon in Possession of Firearm.
According to court documents, on March 17, 2019, Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) officers stopped the vehicle driven by Woodley at around 11:30 p.m. for failing to observe a stop sign and passing on a double yellow line. During the traffic stop, VIPD officers noticed the odor of marijuana emanating from Woodley’s vehicle. The officers searched the vehicle and located a revolver in the center console, a bag on the front seat containing approximately 20 grams of marijuana, approximately 7 grams of cocaine, along with $105.00, and a scale. Police also found and seized $701 on Woodley’s person. Woodley did not have a license to possess the firearm and had previously been convicted of the felony offense of Attempted Robbery Second Degree by the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
This offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of up to 10 years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of at least 2 years. Sentencing is set for October 1, 2021.
The Virgin Islands Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.St. Croix Man Convicted of Attempting to Smuggle Two Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
ST. CROIX – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that, after a week-long trial, a St. Croix federal jury convicted Keithley Parris, age 33, of St. Croix of Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute. The verdict was returned by the jury on Friday.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Parris conspired with co-defendants Don-Luke George and Zion Hazel in April of 2018 to smuggle 2 kilograms of cocaine thru the St. Croix Henry E. Rohlsen Airport with the intent to transport the cocaine to Miami via an American Airlines flight. Evidence presented at the trial showed that Parris organized and planned the operation; recruited George and Hazel to participate; supplied the cocaine to George; paid George $1,000 to bring the cocaine into the airport; and subsequently directed and monitored the operation via text messages with George and Hazel while the operation was unfolding at the airport. On April 12, 2018, George, who was employed at the airport, smuggled the four bricks of cocaine into the passenger waiting area of the airport and delivered them to Hazel in the handicap stall of the men’s restroom. Hazel was a passenger on the outgoing American Airlines flight but was intercepted with the cocaine prior to boarding his flight by Customs and Border Protection officers.
Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. The DEA Southeast Laboratory in Miami analyzed the cocaine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
St. Croix Resident Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking over 22 Kilos of Cocaine Through the Cyril E. King AirportRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis, sentenced Jakwaan Sweeny, Jr., 22, of St. Croix, to 72 months incarceration for trafficking cocaine yesterday, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
According to court records, on September 24, 2018, Sweeney provided his co-conspirator with a travel bag containing 22.78 kilos of cocaine and an airline ticket to Atlanta. On the day of travel, Sweeney’s co-conspirator entered the Cyril E. King Airport and checked the bag for the flight. During a routine screening, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered the cocaine located in the luggage. Sweeney’s co-conspirator entered a guilty plea to the federal cocaine conspiracy charge in 2018.
In addition to 72 months incarceration, Judge Lewis also sentenced Sweeney to five years supervised release, imposed a $1,500 fine, and ordered him to pay a $100 special assessment.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and CBP. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
VIPD’s Crime Prevention Bureau, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, Community Action NOW! and Senator Dwayne M. DeGraff Announce a Town Hall Meeting in the Savan Community, St. Thomas on Thursday, June 3rdRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Captain Sandra Colbourne and members of the VIPD Crime Prevention Bureau; representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative; Iffat Walker, Founder and Executive Director of Community Action NOW!; and Senator Dwayne M. DeGraff of the 34th Legislature of the Virgin Islands will participate in a Town Hall Meeting with the Savan Community next week. The meeting will be held on Thursday, June 3rd from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Romeo Malone Community Center. The meeting is free and open to the public. Participation is also available via Zoom.
"Savan is a diverse community of native families, small business owners, and an aging population. We know that the citizens of Savan want and need access to resources to restore the community to its once vibrant history, " Shappert said. "We look forward to hearing community members’ ideas and their concerns."
Persons wishing to join by Zoom can use Meeting ID 864 7247 5481; Passcode 90122.
Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Community Action Now is a nonprofit focused on empowering youth and adults living in underserved communities to overcome poverty and gain economic independence through outreach services geared toward self-advocacy, education, training, community services, and emergency management. For more information, see https://communityactionnow.org/.
For additional information, please call 340-244-6539 or 340-474-1510.
St. Croix Man Who Possessed Firearm During A Drug Trafficking Offense Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. CROIX, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Ladislau Concepcion, Jr., age 47, was sentenced in federal court on May 18, 2021 after pleading guilty to carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.
District Court Chief Judge Wilma A. Lewis sentenced Concepcion to 72 months of Federal incarceration, with credit for time served, followed by 5 years of supervised release and ordered Concepcion to pay a special assessment of $100. The firearm, which Concepcion did not have a license to possess, was ordered forfeited.
According to court documents, on March 7, 2017, Concepcion was the subject of a law enforcement-initiated traffic stop near the Golden Rock McDonald’s on St. Croix. He failed to produce a valid driver’s license, insurance, or registration for the vehicle he was operating. Subsequently, a K-9 drug detection dog alerted for the presence of narcotics in the rear of the vehicle, and a search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 172 grams of marijuana, 11 grams of crack cocaine, 10 grams of cocaine, empty vials, plastic baggies, a digital scale, scissors, and three cellular phones. Officers found a loaded Taurus .38 caliber handgun in the vehicle’s glove box. Concepcion, a convicted felon, did not have a license to possess the firearm, and was not permitted to possess it according to law.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.
Man Traveling from Georgia to St. Croix Arrested on Federal Charges for Marijuana in LuggageRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Ra’Kheel Velasquez of Georgia was arrested May 14, 2021 on a warrant signed by District Court Magistrate Judge George W. Cannon, Jr. for the charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance With the Intent to Distribute and Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute by Person on Board Aircraft.
According to court documents, Velasquez, age 23, is accused of traveling on March 10, 2021 to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands from Georgia with approximately four pounds of marijuana in his luggage.
Per the affidavit in support of criminal complaint, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents were contacted March 10, 2021 by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers regarding an in inbound airline passenger in possession of approximately four pounds of marijuana at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport. CBP officers conducted a physical examination of a large red suitcase, later claimed by Velasquez, and discovered suspected marijuana which weighed approximately 1.76 kilograms. The suspected marijuana was field tested by CBP officers and yielded a positive result for marijuana.
Per the affidavit, Velasquez informed CBP that he had about four (4) pounds of marijuana in the bag, which he brought from Atlanta and planned to sell on St. Croix, since he heard that the marijuana prices were higher in the USVI. In addition, agents said Velasquez told them he traveled to St. Croix to attend a family member’s funeral.
An initial appearance and bond hearing occurred on Saturday, May 15, 2021 with a preliminary hearing to be scheduled by the court.
The case is being investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.
United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Convicted Impersonator Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Involving Elderly Victims and Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
ST. CROIX – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Yamini Potter pled guilty today in federal court to wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1343 and witness tampering/obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1512.
According to court documents, between approximately May 2019 and October 23, 2020, Potter, acting as himself, or others persons, including Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller; former Virgin Islands Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter; Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George; and former federal District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez, contacted victims M.M. and P.M. and requested money to purportedly pay for lawyers and legal fees associated with various fictitious lawsuits, which Potter knew did not exist. M.M. and P.M. paid Potter via cash, check, or wire transfer for expenses associate with these non-existent lawsuits. The total amount paid to Potter by the victims was $120,650.
After Potter was arrested and incarcerated for the above-described criminal conduct, he continued to use the Bureau of Corrections’ phone to contact his victims on a recorded line. Potter pretended to be Judge Miller on four separate calls; former Judge Gomez on nine different calls; Attorney General George on 78 calls; and former Lieutenant Governor Potter on 47 calls. During the fraud scheme, and after Potter was arrested on the federal charges, he instructed victims M.M. and P.M. not to cooperate with the federal authorities in his federal criminal case. On one occasion, he advised the victims to delete text messages between himself and the victims.
Potter will be sentenced on September 17, 2021 by Senior District Judge Timothy J. Savage and faces a maximum term of not more than 20 years imprisonment per count, three years of supervised release per count and a maximum $250,000.00 fine per count. As part of his plea agreement, Potter agreed to pay $120,650 in restitution to P.M.’s estate.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Virgin Islands Police Department, and the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alessandra P. Serano.
United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert encourages anyone, and especially elderly victims, who may be a victim of fraud – or of any other crime - to come forward and make a report to the FBI at (340) 777-3363.
Woman Pleads Guilty After Arriving at Cyril E. King Airport with Seven Suitcases Containing 76 Kilograms of MarijuanaRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced on Monday that Idesha Sterrod pled guilty today in federal court to possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
According to court documents, on August 5, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Cyril E. King Airport were conducting inspections of incoming luggage and discovered a suitcase with packages containing a green leafy substance inside. The suitcase arrived on an American Airlines flight from Miami. The suitcase was placed back on the luggage belt and officers allowed it to be retrieved in the baggage section of the airport. Sterrod, along with three unrelated minor children traveling with her, retrieved a total of seven suitcases, including the one inspected.
Officers inspected all seven suitcases with which the defendant was traveling. All contained vacuum sealed bags of a green leafy substance, which tested positive for the characteristics of marijuana and had a total weight of 76 kilograms.
Sterrod will be sentenced at a later date by Chief Judge Robert A. Molloy and faces a maximum term of not more than 20 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000.00 fine.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Inspection, investigated the case.
Ninth St. Croix Woman Pleads Guilty in Multi-Defendant Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced on Friday that Nicolette Alexander, age 29, from the Virgin Islands pled guilty in federal court today to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.
According to court documents, from January 2011 to July 2012, Nicolette Alexander and others participated in a scheme to steal money from the United States treasury by fraudulently obtaining federal income tax refunds. The scheme involved the acquisition of personal identifying information of individuals (i.e. name, social security number, and date of birth) used to electronically file falsified tax returns with a designation of refunds to the acquired bank accounts or debit cards. Defendant and her co-conspirators withdrew the deposited refunds. They subsequently spent the funds using a debit card or transferred the funds to other accounts, all for personal use. As a result of the scheme, approximately $17,537 of falsely-claimed returns were deposited into Alexander’s bank account.
Of ten defendants charged in the tax fraud scheme, Alexander is the ninth to plead guilty. Eight others have entered guilty pleas, four of whom have been sentenced in federal court by District Court Chief Judge Wilma Lewis. The remaining defendant is scheduled for trial on June 7, 2021. A sentencing date for Alexander is to be scheduled, and she faces a maximum sentence of ten years, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and the payment of restitution.
The prosecution of this fraud scheme is the result of years of investigative work by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, which identified and dismantled a massive stolen identity refund fraud scheme perpetrated in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Ortiz.
Florida Man Enters Guilty Plea Prior to Trial for Smuggling Marijuana Through the Cyril E. King AirportRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Marvin Forbes, age 49, from Orlando, FL, pleaded guilty in federal court just prior to commencement of jury selection for his trial on the charge of Possession with Intent to Distribute 12.61 kilograms of Marijuana.
According to court documents, on June 19, 2020, Forbes arrived at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas on Spirit Airlines flight #1610 which departed from Fort Lauderdale, FL. Upon arrival in St. Thomas, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted a 100% inspection of Spirit’s checked bags. CBP K-9 “Sherpa” later alerted to the presence of narcotics in Forbes’ checked bag. After Forbes removed his bag from the baggage claim belt, CBP officers approached Forbes and escorted him to secondary for inspection. In secondary, CBP officers cut a lock that was placed on Forbes’ suitcase after he failed to produce the key to open the lock. Inside Forbes’ suitcase, CBP officers discovered eight (8) vacuum sealed packages, each containing multiple smaller, individually vacuum sealed packages of marijuana with a total weight of 12.61 kilograms.
On June 22, 2020, Forbes was released on an unsecured bond and allowed to return to Orlando, FL. Two days later, however, Forbes was arrested in Orlando for larceny offenses. His supervised release was later revoked, and he was detained pending trial. After pleading guilty, Forbes was remanded to custody pending his August 6, 2021 sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and CBP. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Delia Smith and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Florida Woman Apprehended at the Cyril E. King Airport is Convicted of Smuggling Marijuana to St. ThomasRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced that Raquel Rivera was convicted at trial yesterday after smuggling marijuana into St. Thomas.
According to evidence presented at trial, Rivera was stopped on April 22, 2020 at the Cyril E. King airport after arriving on St. Thomas from Miami, FL. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers then searched the luggage she was carrying, including one suitcase checked in Rivera’s name and one checked in the name of someone else. Inside, officers found 12 identical, vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana concealed in various items of clothing, including jeans, towels, and a Hello Kitty blanket. In total, Rivera had nearly six kilograms of marijuana in both suitcases, and when interviewed by officers that day she gave conflicting accounts of what was in the suitcases and who packed them.
This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and CBP. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Natasha Baker and Nathan Brooks, and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Rivera will be sentenced at a later date.
U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert Urges Everyone to Recognize Police WeekRead the Press Release
2021 National Police WeekSt. Thomas, USVI — In honor of National Police Week, Acting U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert encourages everyone to recognize the service and sacrifice of federal, state, and local and Tribal law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Sunday, May 9 through Saturday, May 15, 2021.
“This week is a time to honor our law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation,” said Attorney General Garland. “I am constantly inspired by the extraordinary courage and dedication with which members of law enforcement act each day, putting their lives on the line to make our communities safer. To members of law enforcement and your families: we know that not a single day, nor a single week, is enough to recognize your service and sacrifice. On behalf of the entire Department of Justice, you have our unwavering support and eternal gratitude.”
“Here in the U.S. Virgin Islands, we are grateful for our law enforcement partners who have dedicated their lives and careers to public service,” Shappert said. “Despite the challenges, they work daily to improve public safety and to hold wrongdoers accountable.”
President John F. Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week in 1962 to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
Each year, during National Police Week, our nation celebrates the contributions of law enforcement from around the country, recognizing their hard work, dedication, loyalty, and commitment to keeping our communities safe. This year the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted law enforcement officers’ courage and unwavering devotion to the communities that they have sworn to serve.
During the Roll Call of Heroes, a ceremony coordinated by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), more than 300 officers will be honored. Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), of the law enforcement officers who died nationwide in the line of duty in 2020, nearly 60 percent succumbed to COVID-19.
Additionally, according to statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 46 law enforcement officers died as a result of felonious acts and 47 died in accidents in 2020. LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website.The names of the 394 fallen officers who have been added in 2020 to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Thursday, May 13, 2021, during a Virtual Candlelight Vigil, which will be livestreamed to the public at 8:00 PM EDT. The Police Week in-person public events, originally scheduled for May, have been rescheduled due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns to October 13-17, 2021. An in-person Candlelight Vigil event is scheduled for October 14, 2021.
Those who wish to view the Virtual Candlelight Vigil on May 13, 2021, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNLEOMF. The FOP’s Roll Call of Heroes can be viewed at www.fop.net. To view the schedule of virtual Police Week events in May, please view NLEOMF’s Police Week Flyer.
To learn more about National Police Week in-person events scheduled for October, please visit www.policeweek.org.
St. Thomas Man Convicted of Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that a federal jury on St. Thomas convicted 29-year-old Leroy Henry, Jr. yesterday of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was acquitted of a second offense of being a felon in possession of ammunition. At the conclusion of the trial, Henry was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service, pending his sentencing.
According to evidence presented at trial, an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip stated that Leroy Henry, Jr., a convicted felon, possessed a hidden compartment in his blue Infiniti, where he maintained an unregistered firearm that he planned to use to exact revenge on his brother’s murderer. This tip led to the FBI executing a search warrant on January 14, 2020. Agents searched Leroy Henry, Jr.’s car and, in a hidden compartment underneath his center console cupholders, located a fully loaded .23 Glock pistol, along with two magazines, one of which was extended.
During a subsequent interview, Leroy Henry, Jr. acknowledged to the agents that he had previously obtained it from a friend.
DNA samples collected from the gun were compared to a sample of Henry’s DNA. An FBI forensic examiner testified at the trial that the DNA analysis revealed that it was 78 septillion times more likely that Henry’s DNA was present on the Glock confiscated from his vehicle.
The Virgin Islands Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith J. Edwards and George Andrew Massucco-LaTaif are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.
St. Croix Man Apprehended with Gun, Ammunition, Drugs and Money Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison on Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that Rakem Hendrickson, 29, of St. Croix, appeared before Chief Judge Wilma A. Lewis, in District Court on April 21, 2021, and was sentenced on the charge of Use of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. Chief Judge Lewis sentenced Hendrickson to a 5-year prison term, a 4-year period of supervised release, a fine of $1,000, and assessed a special assessment of $100.
According to court documents, on February 16, 2018, the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) received a tip from a concerned citizen that Hendrickson was selling drugs from his Jeep Wrangler, that Hendrickson was known to carry a firearm, and that he routinely parked the Jeep in the vicinity of Dynasty (Paul’s) Grocery Store. VIPD officers established surveillance at that location and thereafter observed Hendrickson park and exit his vehicle. Officers observed drug paraphernalia consisting of a clear plastic bag containing multiple vials in plain view, located in the back of Hendrickson’s Jeep. Shortly thereafter, officers obtained and executed a search warrant. As a result, officers located and confiscated a loaded Glock 22 Austria handgun, 2 additional magazines, 82 rounds of ammunition, approximately 133 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia in the form of 94 plastic vials, a digital scale, 2 mason jars, plastic baggies, and $2,584 cash. The foregoing occurred within 1,000 feet of the Lew Muckle Elementary School.
The Virgin Islands Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. The DEA Southeast Laboratory in Miami analyzed the marijuana.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
National Park Service Official Arrested on Theft and Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Gregory Camacho, 41, of St. Croix, appeared before Magistrate Judge George W. Cannon, Jr., for an Initial Appearance and Arraignment after his arrest by Special Agents of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior on the charges of:
Counts 1–15: Conversion of Government Property, 18 U.S.C. § 641;
Count 16: Acts Affecting a Personal Financial Interest, 18 U.S.C. § 208;
Count 17: Wire Fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1343;
Count 18: False, Fictitious or Fraudulent Claims, 18 U.S.C. § 287;
Count 19: Theft of Government Money, 18 U.S.C. § 641;
Count 20-26: Wire Fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1343;
Count 27-33: False, Fictitious or Fraudulent Claims, 18 U.S.C. § 287; and
Count 34-36: Theft of Government Money, 18 U.S.C. § 641.According to court documents, Camacho failed to pay the required rent at National Park Service government housing from June 2019 – August 2020, directed a subordinate to change the housing classification to lessen the rent that was required from him in June 2020, submitted a change of duty station voucher that falsely reflected he was relocating various family members to St. Croix in August 2019, and submitted overlapping travel vouchers claiming meals and incidental expenses for two locations simultaneously from October 2018 – November 2019. The total loss amount alleged is over $46,000.00.
The case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston.
Camacho faces up to the following maximum penalties if convicted:
- Conversion/Theft of Government Property – a maximum of 10 years, fine up to $250,000 per count
- Acts Affecting a Personal Financial Interest – a maximum of 5 years, fine up to $250,000;
- Wire Fraud– a maximum of 20 years, fine up to $250,000
- False, Fictitious or Fraudulent Claims - a maximum of 5 years, fine up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert reminds the public that an Indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Four Men Arrested for Smuggling and Concealing $1.28 Million Following Apprehension Near Stumpy Beach on St. Thomas, V.I.Read the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that charges were filed against four men for smuggling and concealing approximately $1.28 million dollars. Geraldo Alverio Morales, Jesus Javier Lebron Pinto, and Alcibiades Flis Batista were arrested Wednesday evening, April 7, 2021, and made their initial appearances in federal court on April 8, 2021. Joshua Laboy Lozada was arrested on April 8, 2021 and made his initial appearance on April 9, 2021.
The detention hearings for Alcibiades Flis Batista and Joshua Laboy Lozada were held April 13, 2021. Flis Batista was ordered detained. Laboy Lozada was released on bail on home detention and electronic monitoring. Alverio Morales and Lebron Pinto’s detention hearings are scheduled for Friday, April 16, 2021.
According to court documents, on April 7, 2021 at approximately 5:00 p.m., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine officers were conducting border security patrols in the Stumpy Beach area, on the west end of St. Thomas, V.I. Stumpy Beach is known by law enforcement officers for its history of contraband smuggling activity. During the patrol, CBP officers observed a silver Ford Explorer passing with dark tinted windows. CBP officers continued down toward the beach and observed an unknown male emerge from the bushes. The unknown male appeared nervous upon seeing the CBP officers. The CBP officers continued to monitor the subject and observed him talking on his cell phone. CBP officers later observed that the silver Ford Explorer, previously seen along the road, had returned to the beach area. The occupant of the vehicle later approached the unknown male and they began talking to each other.
CBP officers continued their surveillance. At approximately 7:05 p.m., CBP officers observed a wake in the ocean and the sound of a boat engine on the beach. They notified other CBP team members that a vessel traveling without navigational lights was approaching Stumpy Beach. After the vessel arrived in the area, the silver Ford Explorer travelled from the beach area towards the main road. CBP officers, who were also located along the rugged road, saw the silver Ford Explorer attempting to leave the Stumpy Beach area. The officers identified themselves by shining their vehicle lights along with the law enforcement blue lights. After seeing the law enforcements lights, the driver, later identified as Alcibiades Flis Batista, suddenly reversed the silver Ford Explorer until it was stuck in the dirt. After the vehicle became stuck, Batista exited the vehicle and ran into the bush.
Officers approached the silver Ford Explorer and observed three large black bags in the trunk of the vehicle. The bags contained approximately $1.28 million dollars in U.S. currency. The bags were wet, and the currency was wrapped in bundles of vacuum sealed plastic.
Other officers who were at sea, observed that a boat was beached on Stumpy Beach. Additional law enforcement officers assisted with both the search of the occupants of the vessel and the driver of the silver Ford Explorer.
A few hours later, officers located Geraldo Alverio Morales, Jesus Javier Lebron Pinto, and Alcibiades Flis Batista in an area adjacent to Stumpy Beach. The following day, the officers returned to Stumpy Beach and located Joshua Laboy Lozada, who was also taken into custody.
This case is being investigated jointly by the Caribbean Anti-Money Laundering Alliance (CMLA) which promotes interagency collaboration to identify, disrupt, and dismantle money laundering organizations operating throughout the Caribbean Established in 2018, CMLA’s partner agencies include Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juan Albino.
United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that an information is merely a formal charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Foreign National from Trinidad Previously Convicted of Federal Felonies is Charged with Illegal Re-Entry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Allan Browne, a citizen of Trinidad, was charged with entering the United States after having been previously deported and removed from the United States. Browne made his initial appearance before the United States Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Friday, April 9, 2021. His detention and preliminary examination hearings were held on Tuesday, April 13, 2021.
According to Court documents, on April 8, 2021, Browne appeared at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) primary inspection checkpoint at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Browne was a ticketed passenger on American Airlines Flight #943 traveling to Miami, Florida.
During the inspection, Browne presented a Pennsylvania driver’s license bearing the name Antonio S. Brown with a date of birth. CBP officers asked Browne if he were a citizen of the United States or a legal permanent residence, to which he replied that he was a legal permanent resident. Browne claimed he had a legal permanent resident card, but it was not with him. Based on record checks conducted using Browne ‘s fingerprints, officers ascertained Browne’s true and correct name and date of birth.
According to court documents, Browne was previously convicted in the Eastern District of New York for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment on June 28, 2013. Browne was removed from the United States following his sentence. Officers also discovered Browne was removed from the U.S. as recently as last year after re-entering the United States illegally. Officers conducted record checks and verified that Browne was not a citizen of the United States and found no information showing Browne was granted any documentation to enter or remain in the U.S.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juan A. Albino.
United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that a complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
Two Nicaraguan Narcotic Smugglers Apprehended off the Coast of Columbia, in the Pacific Ocean Charged with Possessing More Than 3500 pounds of Marijuana on VesselRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – Jonny Cadena Osorio and Morlin Moises Jaenstchke Calero, both of Nicaragua were charged with Conspiracy to Possess and Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute on Board a Vessel Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
The court filings allege that on March 27, 2021, the defendants were on board a vessel that was intercepted by a United States Coast Guard (USCG) cutter while on routine patrol. The vessel was sighted approximately 92 nautical miles off the coast of Isla De Malpelo, Colombia. The vessel did not have any display indicating its nationality.
A USCG helicopter reported packages being jettisoned from the vessel prior to its stop. Packages recovered from the ocean yielded 35 bales of suspected marijuana, an at-sea-weight of approximately 3,500 pounds.
The defendants made their initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida on April 8, 2021. They are being held on $250,000 bond and will later be transported to the District of the Virgin Islands for prosecution.
A criminal complaint is merely a charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
St. Thomas Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing over $300,000 from His Father, Moving Money Through Different Bank AccountsRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that Lenroy Ravalier, Jr. pleaded guilty to bank fraud.
According to public documents filed in the case, Ravalier forged checks in his father’s name totaling over $300,000, in order to obtain those funds for himself. Ravalier then moved much of the money through various bank accounts in order to conceal the unlawful activity, one of the accounts having been specifically created for the purpose of moving the stolen funds.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Brooks. The court will set a sentencing hearing date for Ravalier at a later time.
VIPD Crime Prevention Bureau, Project Safe Neighborhoods, and Community Leaders Invite Everyone to Support the Garden Street Community on St. Thomas with a Walk Through the Neighborhood on Friday, April 9th at 6:30 p.m.Read the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI- United States Attorney, Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that members of the Virgin Islands Police Department Crime Prevention Bureau, the U.S. Virgin Islands Project Safe Neighborhood initiative, and Community leaders, together with representatives from the neighborhood, will be meeting at Bred Gade and Garden Street on Friday, April 9th at 6:30 p.m. to walk the neighborhood and hear concerns from community residents. Participants will be asked to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Shappert noted that the historic Garden Street community has experienced tragic, gun-related violence. "We all remember that on May 8th of last year, a Friday morning, residents of the Garden Street community heard repeated gunshots at around 8:30 a.m. Moments later, 39-year-old Jamal Jacobs was found lying face down on the road. His tragic death was the 10th homicide of the year on St. Thomas," Shappert said. "This senseless act of violence profoundly impacted the community."
For more information about the Garden Street walk, please contact: 340-244-6539.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to reduce gun crime in America through strategic partnerships between federal, local, and community stakeholders. PSN targets gun crime and gun-related violence, while supporting violence reduction strategies and the coordination of community-based partnerships. The goal is to create safer neighborhoods by reducing gun violence and fostering public safety.
St. Croix Man Sentenced to 24 months for Attempted Coercion and Enticement for Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – The United States Attorney, Gretchen C.F. Shappert, announced today that on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, Chief Judge Wilma Lewis sentenced Rashead Gerard, 24, of St. Croix, to 24 months in prison, five years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment for attempted coercion and enticement for illegal sexual activity.
According to the plea agreement filed with the court, on or about August12, 2019, Gerard responded to an ad posted online. A Homeland Security Investigations agent posed as the father of a female minor, who was looking for a tour guide to show her around for an hour or two. The defendant asked what the minor wanted to do, and the agent replied, "anything that you’re up for." The agent told the defendant that the minor was 14 and the defendant told the agent he would pay for 30 minutes to engage in sexual activity with the minor. They agreed to meet at the Fort in Frederiksted around 5:30 p.m. The defendant was arrested when he went to the agreed-upon location and condoms and money were found in his car.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
Former Airport Employee Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison on Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – Lamech Matthew, age 28, of St. Croix, was sentenced in the St. Croix District Court on April 1, 2021, after pleading previously guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Possess a Controlled Substance With Intent to Distribute, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. Matthew originally entered his guilty plea on January 22, 2019.
Chief Judge Wilma A. Lewis sentenced Matthew to a federal prison term of 24 months, followed by 3 years of supervised release, a $3,500 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents, on November 2, 2016, while investigating a passenger found with cocaine in his carry-on luggage, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents reviewed surveillance footage from the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix. They were able to determine that Matthew, a Worldwide Flight Services employee, was involved with the passenger. After Matthew was advised of his rights, he admitted that he brought the cocaine into the restroom in the pre-departure area and left the cocaine in a stall to be retrieved by the passenger. Laboratory analysis confirmed the substance was cocaine hydrochloride (cocaine powder) with a net weight of 5,132.4 grams, or over 5 kilograms.
The case was investigated by Customs and Boarder Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Southeast Laboratory in Miami analyzed the cocaine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
Fifth St. Croix Woman Sentenced to Federal Incarceration, Ordered to Pay Restitution in Multi-Defendant Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Sheba Young, age 44, from St. Croix, was sentenced yesterday in federal court to ten months of incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. She was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $37,086 to the Internal Revenue Service.
According to the plea agreement filed with the court, from January 2011 to July 2012, Sheba Young and nine others participated in a scheme to steal money from the United States treasury by fraudulently obtaining federal income tax refunds. The scheme involved the acquisition of personal identifying information of individuals (i.e. name, social security number, and date of birth) used to electronically file falsified tax returns with a designation of refunds to the acquired bank accounts or debit cards. Defendant and her co-conspirators withdrew the deposited refunds, spent them using a debit card or transferred them to other accounts, all for personal use.
As a result of the scheme, approximately $40,695 of falsely claimed returns was designated for deposit into Defendant’s bank account, of which approximately $37,086 was actually deposited therein.Of ten defendants charged in the tax fraud scheme, eight others have entered guilty pleas, four of whom have been sentenced in federal court by District Court Chief Judge Wilma Lewis. The remaining two defendants are scheduled for trial on June 7, 2021.
The prosecution of this fraud scheme is the result of years of investigative work by the
Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, which identified and dismantled a massive
stolen identity refund fraud scheme perpetrated in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere.The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, and is
being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Ortiz.St. Croix Couple Arrested for Firearms Trafficking Involving over 100 Illegally Manufactured Firearms Sold Throughout the U.S. Virgin IslandsRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that Somalie Bruce, age 35, and Jeanorah Williams, age 26, of St. Croix were arrested for firearms trafficking; conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking; shipping, transporting and receiving firearms with intent to commit a felony; and local territorial charges for unlawful possession of a firearm, and ammunition. Bruce was also charged in separate counts with distribution of at least 500 grams of cocaine under federal law and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number under federal and territorial law. The indictment was unsealed today.
According to the indictment filed in this case, beginning in 2016 and continuing through 2020, Bruce and Williams engaged in an unlicensed firearm trafficking business with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury. The indictment alleges Bruce and Williams ordered gun parts and accessories from various companies in North Carolina and Florida and had the items delivered to their respective post office boxes in St. Croix. Williams and Bruce purchased money orders totaling over $60,000 from the United States Post Office to pay for the firearm parts. Thereafter, Bruce built pistols and rifles and sold them to others persons knowing, or having a reasonable cause to believe, that these individuals would not register the firearms, as required by law, with the Virgin Islands Police Department, an offense punishable by a minimum of ten years in prison.
On December 8, 2020, Bruce and Williams were apprehended with multiple firearms and ammunition in their possession. In addition, Bruce possessed a Glock firearm with an obliterated serial number in violation of federal and territorial law.
The court appearance is set before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. for a detention hearing for Bruce. Bail was set for Williams in the amount of $20,000.00.
An indictment is merely a charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), and Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alessandra P. Serano and Juan Albino.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative and Homeland Security Investigations-Arms and Strategic Technology Proliferation Program. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods and the Homeland Security Investigations-Arms and Strategic Technology Proliferation Initiative, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn and https://www.ice.gov/investigations/astp.
St. Thomas Man Sentenced to Twelve Years in Federal Prison in Connection with Bank Robbery and ShootingRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that Melik Petersen was sentenced to 12 years in prison for assault with the intent to commit robbery.
According to court documents filed in the case, on the morning of September 11, 2019, Ranger American Armored Services guards were attempting to pick up $951,000 from a Scotia Bank branch in the Altona area St. Thomas. Petersen and another unidentified individual, both armed, attempted to rob the guards of the money and a gunfight ensued, during which one of the guards suffered a bullet wound in his leg. The two assailants and the getaway driver then fled the scene after failing to steal the money.
This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department, and it was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Sleeper and Nathan Brooks.
St. Thomas Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – King Bob Leonard, 28, of St. Thomas, entered a guilty plea to the charge of Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today.
According to court documents, in January and February of 2018 the defendant conspired with others to distribute cocaine. He operated through a number of text messages that were seized as part of the investigation. Further, the investigation revealed that the defendant and others coordinated the delivery of between 400 and 500 grams of cocaine in St. Thomas, USVI.
The offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of up to twenty years, a maximum fine of up to $1,000,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of up to six years. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.
Guyanese National Sentenced to Time Served for Illegal Re-Entry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney, Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that Warren Michael Whyte, a citizen of Guyana, was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to illegally re-entering the United States after being ordered deported and removed.
According to Court documents, on March 14, 2020, an ICE Deportation Officer received information from a credible source of information (SOI) that an individual who was previously deported from the United States was working in the Smith Bay area in St. Thomas, V.I. at an auto repair shop called "Auto World". Criminal and immigration records checks were completed and revealed that on June 18, 2002, Warren Whyte was ordered removed from the United States by the Immigration & Naturalization Service to his native country of Guyana as an aggravated felon due to his prior felony conviction.
Court records show that on March 17, 2020, at approximately 7:00 am, an ICE officer observed an individual who appeared to be the person identified in the picture as Warren Whyte. Officer Williams conducted a vehicle stop on VI Route 40 of the vehicle the individual was driving. During the encounter, Whyte freely admitted that his name was Warren Whyte. Mr. Whyte was taken into custody and transported to the ICE office where his fingerprints resulted in a positive match to his prior record of deportation.
During the Sentencing Hearing, United States District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy stated that Mr. Whyte’s prior conviction was almost 20 years ago, and that Whyte had been on home incarceration since March 17, 2020. Judge Molloy sentenced Mr. Whyte to time served. Mr. Whyte will be deported from the United States as a result of his conviction.
This case was investigated by the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juan A. Albino.
Eighth St. Croix Woman Pleads Guilty in Multi-Defendant Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Joanne Benjamin, age 41, from the Virgin Islands pled guilty in federal court on March 11, 2021 to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.
According to the plea agreement filed with the court, from January 2011 to July 2012, Joanne Benjamin and others participated in a scheme to steal money from the United States treasury by fraudulently obtaining federal income tax refunds. The scheme involved the acquisition of personal identifying information of individuals (i.e. name, social security number, and date of birth) used to electronically file falsified tax returns with a designation of refunds to the acquired bank accounts or debit cards. Defendant and her co-conspirators withdrew the deposited refunds, spent them using a debit card or transferred them to other accounts, all for personal use.
As a result of the scheme, approximately $110,896 of falsely-claimed returns was designated for deposit into Defendant’s bank account, of which approximately $80,425 was actually deposited therein.
Of ten defendants charged in the tax fraud scheme, Benjamin is the eighth to plead guilty. Seven others have entered guilty pleas, three of whom have been sentenced in federal court by District Court Chief Judge Wilma Lewis. The remaining two defendants are scheduled for trial on June 7, 2021. A sentencing date for Benjamin is scheduled for July 14, 2021, and she faces a maximum sentence of ten years, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and the payment of restitution.
The prosecution of this fraud scheme is the result of years of investigative work by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, which identified and dismantled a massive stolen identity refund fraud scheme perpetrated in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Ortiz.
Dominican Republic National Sentenced to Prison After Illegally Re-entering the United States Following the Commission of a Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI- United States Attorney, Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that Eilin Castillo Montano of the Dominican Republic was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to illegally reentering the United States after being ordered deported and removed.
According to court documents, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deportation Officer received information from a credible source of information (SOI) that an individual who was previously deported from the United States was back in St. Thomas. ICE officers observed the defendant and took him into custody, where he admitted to being in the United States illegally.
Criminal and immigration records checks revealed that the defendant was previously ordered deported and on April 19, 2016, he was removed to the Dominican Republic. His removal followed a federal conviction on August 31, 2015, in the District Court of the Virgin Islands for possessing a firearm by an illegal alien and a local conviction in the Virgin Islands Superior Court on January 11, 2016, for discharging a firearm.
United States District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy sentenced Castillo to 12 months imprisonment.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
St. Croix Man Sentenced to a Total of 15 Years in Prison for His Murder-for-Hire Plot and for Attempted Retaliation against a WitnessRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – The United States Attorney, Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, Chief Judge Wilma Lewis sentenced Delroy Thomas, 30, of St. Croix, to 120 months in prison, a $3,000 fine, three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment for the federal charge of murder for hire. Judge Lewis also sentenced Thomas to five years on the Virgin Islands local charge of attempted retaliation against a witness, to run consecutive to the federal sentence.
According to the evidence presented at a July 2019 trial, between March 9, 2015 to March 11, 2015, Thomas made a series of telephone calls, while in Golden Grove Correctional Facility, to another inmate. He solicited the inmate’s assistance to eliminate two witnesses in his pending Superior Court case. Thomas described the location of the witnesses’ residence to the inmate and texted their photographs to the other inmate. He told the inmate that he wanted them “off”; that he was dead serious; that he would get the gun (to commit the murders of the witnesses); that this was the result of Thomas’s eight months of thinking; and that there were no ifs, ands, buts or changing of his mind.
Thomas discussed the price for the planned “hit” and directed a female to place $500.00 into a particular vehicle, intending that the money would serve as a down payment for the planned murders. He also admitted that if the inmate did not carry out the hit, he (Thomas) would find someone else to commit the crimes. Unbeknownst to Thomas, the inmate with whom Thomas was communicating was a confidential informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration, which recorded the phone calls. One of the witnesses at trial identified Thomas’s voice on the calls.
Post arrest, Thomas told agents that he may have discussed eliminating witnesses in his case with other inmates when he was angry, but he denied that there was any murder for hire plot. Thomas testified at his trial that he did make the recorded statements in the jail calls, but that was merely “going along” with a scheme by the inmate, who had threatened him into participating in the calls. Thomas claimed that the calls were rehearsed, and that he simply followed the plan.
The Government, however, presented evidence of text messages Thomas sent to other individuals, before the phone calls, stating in substance that Thomas was planning a massacre and that if officials did not let him out of prison, he would put a hit on the witness and her mother.
On March 12, 2015, Bureau of Corrections officers searched Thomas’s prison cell and seized three cellular telephones and a knife from a chase accessible from his cell.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Gang Intelligence Search Team of the V.I. Bureau of Corrections. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
St. Croix Man Sentenced to 14 Months for Cocaine Possession ConvictionRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Malachi Benjamin, 25, was sentenced to 14 months and 10 days by District Judge Robert A. Molloy on his conviction of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Gretchen Shappert announced today. Judge Molloy also sentenced Benjamin to three years of supervised release and $100 special assessment.
According to court records, on June 14, 2018, Virgin Islands Police Department (“VIPD”) officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Glenn David with Benjamin in the front passenger seat. After the traffic stop, officers approached Benjamin to advise him that he was a person of interest in recent double homicide on St. Croix, and Benjamin responded by immediately fleeing the scene on foot. After Benjamin fled the scene, David, the driver and owner of the vehicle, granted the officers permission to search his vehicle.
A forensic team of VIPD officers later recovered three pre-packaged baggies of suspected cocaine hidden inside of a Pepperidge Farm container. The suspected cocaine was recovered from the passenger side floor of the vehicle where Benjamin had been seated.
A field test conducted on the suspected cocaine yielded a positive result. The forensic team also collected buccal swaps from the cocaine baggies that were hidden inside of the Pepperidge Farm container for DNA analysis. When compared with DNA previously collected from Benjamin, a DNA laboratory confirmed that Benjamin was the source of DNA collected from the cocaine wrappings.
Benjamin is also charged in the Virgin Islands Superior Court with unlawful firearm possession charges, and in the U.S. District Court with drugs and firearms conspiracy charges.
This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
Man Possessing a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number in Hospital Ground, St. Thomas Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Akeem Julien, 25, of St. Thomas, appeared before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller in District Court and entered a guilty plea to the charge of Possessing a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced.
According to court documents, on April 8, 2020, while patrolling the Hospital Ground neighborhood in St. Thomas due to recent shootings, Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) officers pursued a group of individuals, including Julien, after the group ran when officers approached. Surveillance video captured Julien and the others climbing over a railing and onto a patio with two black bags. The surveillance video shows Julien in possession of one of the bags which he then hands to another individual. The surveillance video further shows the other individual leave the patio with two bags, heading in one direction, while Julien and others leave in the opposite direction. The bag Julien possessed contained an AK-47 firearm with an obliterated serial number. Julien’s DNA was recovered from the AK-47 firearm.
The offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of up to five years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Virgin Islands Police Department. It is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office of the Virgin Islands.
St. Croix Man Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Possession of a Firearm by a Defendant Under IndictmentRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – A’keem Stanley, 24, of St. Croix, appeared before Magistrate Judge George W. Cannon in District Court and entered a guilty plea to the charge of Aiding and Abetting Possession of Firearm by Person Under Indictment, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
This offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of up to 5 years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. Sentencing is set for June 18, 2021.
According to court documents, on November 4, 2016, Ameade Williams was charged by information with felony offenses in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (SX-16-CR-311). On May 23, 2018, the Superior Court entered an order releasing Williams into the custody of A’keem Stanley and required that they reside at 4E Two Williams, Frederiksted, St. Croix. On May 25, 2018, Stanley signed a document acknowledging his consent and obligation to monitor Williams’ compliance with his terms of release as a third party custodian.
During a search of 4E Two Williams on September 11, 2018, while the charges were still pending against Williams, police seized a Kel-Tech pistol from the living room and a Taurus 9mm pistol in bedroom where Stanley was located. The Kel-Tech firearm contained a magazine with 29 live rounds of ammunition. According to court documents, Williams, who
was present, stated that the firearms belonged to him and that other persons had nothing to with
the firearms.During a post arrest interview, Stanley told police that he had made the arrangements to
acquire possession of 4E Two Williams and that he observed the firearms being brought into
the residence two weeks earlier. However, Stanley did not report Williams’ possession of the
firearm to appropriate officials, thus permitting Williams’ possession to remain undetected by
law enforcement. Both firearms were manufactured outside of the United States Virgin
Islands.The case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston
prosecuted the case.California Passenger Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempting to Smuggle Marijuana into St. Thomas through the Cyril E. King AirportRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that Christopher Vera was sentenced to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release for attempting to smuggle marijuana into St. Thomas.
According to public documents filed in the case, Vera was stopped on October 13, 2020 at the Cyril E. King airport after arriving on St. Thomas from Miami, FL. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers then searched his luggage and found 18 separate baggies containing in total over 8 kilograms of marijuana. Vera admitted to officers that he had been offered approximately $1,500 to transport the marijuana, which he was supposed to deliver to another individual once he arrived on St. Thomas.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and CBP. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Brooks
New York Resident Arrested for Marijuana in Carry-On Bag, Upon Arrival at Cyril E. King Airport, St. ThomasRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that a criminal complaint has been filed against Christopher Dunn, resident of New York, NY, for possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Dunn made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday, February 16th, on St. Thomas.
According to the affidavit in this case, on February 11, 2021, Christopher Dunn arrived at the Cyril E. King airport on an inbound flight from JFK Airport, New York, onboard Delta Airlines flight 635. While conducting an inbound inspection, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered a green leafy material in the contents of Dunn’s carry-on luggage. After obtaining an oral declaration from Dunn, CBP Officers opened his carry-on bag and discovered a green leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana. The total weight of the three (3) vacuum sealed packages within the checked suitcase was approximately 1.03 kilograms.
This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and prosecuted by United States Attorney’s Office for the Virgin Islands.
A complaint is merely a charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Marijuana in Luggage on Flight from San Francisco to St. CroixRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Armando Antonio Mena, age 29 of Arizona, pleaded guilty on February 5, 2021 in federal court to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Armando Antonio Mena traveled to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands on May 27, 2020, on a flight that originated in San Francisco, California. On that flight, he transported checked luggage containing twenty-two individually wrapped vacuum sealed bags that contained approximately ten kilograms of marijuana, the amount and packaging being consistent with drug distribution.
Mena faces up to five years’ incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000.00. A sentencing date has been set for June 9, 2021.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.
Warning Issued by U.S. Attorney and IRS Criminal Investigation Pertaining to New Wave of COVID-19 Scams as Second Round of Economic Impact Payments are DeliveredRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Gretchen C.F. Shappert, United States Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands, and Tyler R. Hatcher, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement today in an effort to prevent taxpayers from falling victim to criminals engaged in fraud schemes.
In the last several months, IRS-CI has seen a variety of Economic Impact Payment (EIP) scams and other financial schemes designed to steal money and personal information from taxpayers. Criminals are taking advantage of the second round of Economic Impact Payments – as well as the approaching tax filing season – to trick honest taxpayers out of their hard-earned money.
“With the roll-out of additional Economic Impact Payments intended to relieve the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic, con artists and scammers are using every opportunity to take advantage of innocent people. All Americans should take care to protect their personal information—especially during tax season—and to resist ‘to-good-to-be-true’ claims related to COVID-19 and Economic Payment scams,” said U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert. “We encourage concerned citizens to contact local or federal law enforcement if they receive emails, text messages, or phone calls which seem suspicious. If you see something, say something.”
Tyler R. Hatcher, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-CI Miami Field Office warned, “Economic relief efforts are meant to assist those in most need who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Criminals think these funds are an easy target to take advantage of innocent people. But we have other plans for those who try to prey on the public, and we are committed to hold them accountable for their criminal actions. Report any phone calls, emails, or text messages asking for your personal information or offering a deal that seems too good to be true.”
Some common COVID-19 scams include:
- Text messages asking taxpayers to disclose bank account information under the guise of receiving the $1,200 Economic Impact Payments.
- Phishing schemes using email, letters and social media messages with key words such as “Coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” and “stimulus” in varying ways. These communications are blasted to large numbers of people and aim to access personally identifying information and financial account information (including account numbers and passwords).
- The organized and unofficial sale of fake at-home COVID-19 test kits (as well as offers to sell fake cures, vaccines, pills, and professional medical advice regarding unproven COVID-19 treatments).
- Fake donation requests for individuals, groups and areas heavily affected by the disease.
- Bogus opportunities to invest in companies developing COVID-19 vaccines while promising that the “company” will dramatically increase in value as a result.
Although criminals are constantly changing their tactics, taxpayers can help protect themselves by acting as the first line of defense. The best way to avoid falling victim to a scam is knowing how the IRS communicates with taxpayers. The IRS does not send unsolicited texts or emails. The IRS does not call people with threats of jail or lawsuits, nor does it demand tax payments on gift cards.
IRS-CI continues investigating hundreds of COVID-19-related cases with law enforcement agencies domestically and abroad and educating taxpayers about scams.
COVID-19 scams should be reported to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or submitted through the NCDF Web Complaint Form. The NCDF is a national coordinating agency within the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division dedicated to improving the detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of criminal conduct related to natural and man-made disasters and other emergencies.
Taxpayers can also report fraud or theft of their Economic Impact Payments to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). Reports can be made online at TIPS.TIGTA.GOV.
Taxpayers who receive unsolicited emails or social media attempts to gather information that appear to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, should forward the message to [email protected]. Taxpayers are encouraged not to engage potential scammers online or on the phone.
To learn more about COVID-19 scams and other financial schemes visit IRS.gov. Official IRS information about COVID-19 and Economic Impact Payments can be found on the Coronavirus Tax Relief page, which is updated frequently.