CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A Dominican Republic native appeared in federal court in St. Thomas today to answer charges that he made fraudulent claims that he lost hundreds of items in the mail.
Shaquin Brodie, 20, a former resident of St. John, appeared for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller after being arrested in Columbus, Ohio, on January 16, 2018, U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert said.
Brodie was arrested on an indictment and arrest warrant issued on January 11, 2018, by the U.S. District
Court of the Virgin Islands charging him with mail fraud.
According to the indictment, between February 2016 and March 2017, Brodie filed in excess of 200 fraudulent insurance claims with the United States Postal Service (USPS) for items he represented to be lost, damaged or stolen.
The claims were valued in excess of $47,000.
If convicted, Brodie faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Everard Potter.
Shappert said that an indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not in and of itself evidence of guilt.
“Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty,” she said.