CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A St. Thomas man faces as much as 20 years in prison for allegedly selling crack cocaine on island four times.
Delroy Tatum, Jr., 53, of St. Thomas was arrested on a federal indictment charging him with four counts of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Tatum made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Tuesday and was detained pending further proceedings.
According to the indictment, between May and September of 2014, Tatum sold crack cocaine to an individual on four separate occasions.
The rock-like substances purchased from Tatum field-tested positive for crack cocaine on each occasion.
If convicted of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, Tatum faces a statutory term of imprisonment up to twenty years and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated this case.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte.
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.
