CHRISTIANSTED —St. Croix National Park Deputy Superintendent Gregory Camacho pleaded guilty to federal charges related to fraudulent claims he made for housing expenses and reimbursements, authorities said.
Camacho, 43, has been employed by the National Park Service since 2007, and was indicted by a grand jury in April of 2021.
He pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller to one count of converting property of another and two counts of embezzlement of public funds, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
PHOTO CAPTION: Fort Christiansvaern in St. Croix is maintained by the National Park Service.
On each count, Camacho faces a maximum of one year imprisonment, not more than five years of probation, and supervised release of not more than one year. As part of his plea agreement, Camacho also agreed to pay restitution in an amount to be determined by the court.
Special Agents of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior arrested Camacho and charged him with a lengthy list of financial crimes, including acts affecting a personal financial interest; four counts of theft of government money; eight counts of wire fraud; eight counts of making a false, fictitious or fraudulent claims; and 15 counts of conversion of government property.
The indictment alleged that Camacho paid no rent for half a year while living in a government housing unit owned by the Park Service during his tenure as deputy superintendent. Later, Camacho began paying rent at a reduced rate after directing a subordinate to change the classification of the housing unit to a dormitory style residence, according to the indictment.
The indictment further charged Camacho with defrauding the National Park Service by submitting false permanent change of duty vouchers to indicate members of his family had relocated, allowing him to pocket relocation reimbursements, and that he falsely claimed reimbursement for meals and travel expenses.
The alleged total loss amounted to $46,000, according to the indictment.
Camacho originally pleaded not guilty, and jury selection was scheduled to begin on May 16,
Defense attorney Nicole-Lynn King-Richardson argued in a motion to dismiss the case filed in January that Camacho was targeted for selective enforcement because he was trying to fight racism in the National Park system, and had filed a civil rights claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
“The United States Government initiated this investigation and enforcement in order to silence Mr. Camacho and similarly situated employees of the National Park Service in the Virgin Islands who dare to speak out against the injustices that Caribbean people of color face on a daily basis in the Virgin Islands,” she wrote.
“Instead of attempting to right the wrongs that have plagued the National Park Service for years, the United States Government expends resources to punish Mr. Camacho’s bravery by prosecuting him for practices that have gone unpunished for years,” King-Richardson added.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston responded that Camacho made “various general allegations without merit and/or without specific factual basis,” and “the timeline doesn’t support his claim,” because the Inspector General began investigating Camacho two months before he filed the civil rights complaint.
On Thursday, federal prosecutors filed a new information charging Camacho with one count of being an “Office or Employee of United States converting property of another,” and two counts of “accounting generally for public money.”
The charges are based on false claims for housing expenses and reimbursements totaling $29,500, according to the plea agreement also filed Thursday.
Under sentencing guidelines, Camacho is likely to serve between six and 12 months of probation, according to the plea agreement, and could be ordered to pay a fine of between $4,000 and $40,000.
According to court documents, the National Park Service maintains housing units on St. Croix that are available for rent by park service employees. Camacho, an employee of the National Park Service, failed to pay rent for June 2019 through January 2020 on one unit, and further failed to pay rent for a second unit from February 2020 through June 2020.
As a result, the National Park Service incurred a loss in the amount of $14,192.10. In July 2019, Camacho relocated from Florida to St. Croix, and falsely claimed that his family had relocated with him. Based on his misrepresentation, Camacho received $13,387.50 in relocation reimbursement. On four occasions between October 2018 and September 2019, Camacho falsely submitted overlapping travel vouchers totaling $1,922.50. As a result, Camacho received an additional $1,922.50 in travel reimbursements.
This case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Huston.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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