CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix man made his initial appearance before a judge after being indicted by a federal grand jury on firearm charges.
Ambrose Daniel, 44, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III after the grand jury charged Daniel with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition — and with unlawful possession of a machine gun, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
According to court documents, on May 10, 2019, a federal search warrant was executed at
Daniel’s residence in All for the Better, St. Croix. Federal agents recovered a Glock Model 21, .45
caliber pistol, 48 rounds of .45 caliber cartridges, and a machine gun device capable of converting a
Glock pistol into a fully automatic firearm from Daniel’s residence. In 1997, Daniel was convicted
of assault in the third degree in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. Said felony conviction
prohibits Daniel from legally possessing a firearm.
If convicted, Daniel faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
On May 10, 2005, Virgin Islands police received a complaint from José Marrero that Ambrose Daniel had robbed him at gunpoint, court records show.
“Marrero claimed that the robbery took place at Daniel’s residence when Marrero came to purchase a gold chain from Daniel,” according to court documents. “Police arrived at the apartment shortly after speaking with Marrero.”
The police arrested Daniel and, after receiving a warrant, searched the apartment, court records show. During the search, the police found, among other items, a Glock nine-millimeter pistol (with a bullet in the chamber) and two extended magazines with rounds of ammunition. The machine pistol and the ammunition were each found in the kitchen stove, underneath the range top.
The current case is being investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative.
Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and
tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing
violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For
more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see:
https://www.justice.gov/psn.