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.
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.
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.