CHARLOTTE AMALIE –– Two St. Thomas men appeared in federal court today to hear charges that they were convicted felons illegally in possession of guns.
Rehelio Trant, 39, and Gamba Potter, 32, each of St. Thomas, made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller after being charged in an indictment with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Gretchen C. F. Shappert said.
Trant and Potter were detained pending further proceedings. Each man is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.
According to the indictment, on September 8, 2017, the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) received a report from two people that Trant and Potter were in possession of firearms that they pointed at them during a robbery.
The investigation revealed that Trant was previously convicted in the District Court of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and Potter was previously convicted in the Superior Court of unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Neither Trant nor Potter are licensed in the district of the Virgin Islands to possess a firearm, Shappert said.
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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,” she said.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the VIPD.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte.