John McCarthy
CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix man who siphoned more than $500,000 from the government’s economic stimulus account and then fled to Georgia is facing fraud charges tonight.
Japheth Roberts, 37, was arrested and charged with fraudulent claims upon the government, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case against Roberts began on June 9, 2023, when the Economic Crime Unit started an investigation into fraudulent Claims upon the government based on a complaint from the Office of Management and Budget, according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Japheth Roberts, 37, of St. Croix.
“Investigation revealed that over $500,000.00 was illegally taken from the 2020 Government of the Virgin Islands Economic Stimulus Account which occurred over a (time certain) time period,” VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
A warrant was obtained for Roberts’ arrest and on March 16, 2024, he was apprehended in the state of Georgia and taken into official custody, according to Chichester.
Roberts was brought back to the territory through the extradition process and turned over to Economic Crime Unit detectives today, she said.
Bail for Roberts was set at $100,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court.
