CHRISTIANSTED — A Virgin Islands Police Department officer was charged today with eight federal criminal charges after he was accused of stealing almost $25,000 in a bank fraud scheme.
Yomont King has been charged with four counts of bank fraud, grand larceny, aggravated identity theft, and two counts of forgery, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
King, 28, made his initial appearance in federal court today in Estate Golden Rock, St. Croix.
According to the indictment, King defrauded one bank by depositing a $10,990 loan check intended for a third party into his own personal bank account on multiple occasions.
In another instance, according to the charging document, King forged checks totaling $2,800 and deposited them into his own personal bank account.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Virgin Islands Police Department Economic Crimes Unit.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Brooks.
A criminal indictment is merely a formal charging document, and it is not in and of itself evidence of guilt, according to Shappert.
“Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” she said.