CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A St. Thomas man faces up to 65 years in prison if convicted of crack cocaine, robbery and illegal gun charges.
Ricardo Belgara, 49, of St. Thomas was arrested on an indictment charging him with two counts of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine and territorial charges of robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm during the commission of a robbery, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Belgara made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Tuesday and was detained pending further proceedings.
According to the indictment, between January and February 2014, Belgara sold crack cocaine to a person on two separate occasions.
The rock-like substances purchased from Belgara field-tested positive for crack cocaine on each occasion.
Additionally, Belgara aided and abetted the robbery of the person using a firearm.
If convicted of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, Belgara faces a statutory term of imprisonment up to twenty years and a $250,000 fine.
If convicted on the territorial charge of robbery, Belgara faces up to twenty years in prison and if convicted of using
a firearm during the commission of the robbery, he faces a mandatory sentence of twenty years but not more than twenty-five years.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated this case .
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States 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.
