John McCarthy
CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A native of Dominica who was arrested after a fight in April faces 10 years in prison after admitting in federal court to being an illegal alien with a gun.
Lester Gabriel Charles, 35, of Roseau pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Curtis Gomez to possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, United States Attorney Gretchen Shappert said.
Charles sentencing is scheduled for November 15, 2018 where he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Virgin Islands Police Department responded to a fight on April 5, 2018 involving Charles, who is in the United States illegally.
Charles admitted that he possessed and later discarded the firearm, a Beretta Pierto Model CAT-5802, which Virgin Islands Police Department officers recovered.
The firearm contained 10 live rounds of ammunition—one in the chamber and one in the firearm’s magazine.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Virgin Islands Police
Department (VIPD).
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David White.
