Boat Racer Charged With Raping Crew Member On Taxi Ride To Marina: VIPD

Boat Racer Charged With Raping Crew Member On Taxi Ride To Marina: VIPD

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A nationally-known Florida powerboat racer was arrested for allegedly finger-raping one of his own crew members while the pair were on a crowded taxi from Red Hook to Yacht Haven Grande on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

Hugh D. Fuller Jr., 67, of Boca Raton, was arrested at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and charged with first-degree rape and unlawful sexual contact, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.

VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said a preliminary investigation into the incident found that Fuller, the owner of a vessel, sexually assaulted a female steward of the vessel during a taxi ride from Red Hook to Yacht Haven Grande.

“The assault was reported to the vessel’s captain, who subsequently called 911,” Derima said, adding that the incident took place on a “land” taxi ride.

Boat Racer Charged With Raping Crew Member On Taxi Ride To Marina: VIPD

Bail for Fuller was set at $100,000. Unable to make bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing.

A successful Super Cat powerboat race driver, Fuller has won several national and world titles since the 1990s, and he once owned Century Oaks, a 24,000-square-foot mansion that’s one of the most expensive properties in Tampa Bay, according to various news outlets.

Although currently a property owner in Florida, Fuller is a native of Newport, Rhode Island, according to social media.

Boat Racer Charged With Raping Crew Member On Taxi Ride To Marina: VIPD
KEY WEST, FL – NOVEMBER 18: Drambuie On Ice (front), piloted by Hugh Fuller of Clearwater, Florida and John Tomlinson of Miami, race to a Super Cat class world title 18 November 2001, at the Key West Offshore Worlds powerboat championship. Sunday’s second and final race, postponed two weeks by a threat from Hurricane Michelle, attracted 74 high-speed offshore powerboats. (Photo credit: ANDY NEWMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

All individuals listed as arrested or charged with a crime in this press release are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.