CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man is accused of stealing a checkbook in St. John and taking it to St. Croix to write fraudulent checks with it.
Ke’Shawn K.J. Louis was arrested and charged with obtaining money by false pretenses, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case began on May 15, 2023, when detectives with the Economic Crime Unit started investigating a fraud complaint filed against Ke’shawn K.J. Louis, according to the VIPD.
“The investigation revealed that Ke’Shawn K.J. Louis removed a personal checkbook without authorization from the complaint’s residence in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands,” VIPD spokeswoman Sakeeda Freeman said.
VIPD mug shot of Ke’Shawn K.J. Louis of St. Thomas.
The landlords hired Louis, who was doing business as Supreme Clean USVI, to evict the complainant and clean the residence while he was off island, according to Freeman.
“The investigation further revealed that Louis traveled from St. John to St. Croix with the stolen checkbook and cashed several checks at a gas station in St. Croix,” Freeman said.
The investigation also revealed that Louis also obtained payment from the homeowners of the St. John property to evict their tenant because they reside off-island, police said.
The homeowners sent Louis the eviction no5id3 and cleaning fees via digital payment services, but he failed to file the paperwork with the court to evict the tenant or return the homeowner’s money, according to police.
On May 30, 2023, Detectives from the Economic Crime Unit initiated another investigation into a complaint against Ke’shawn K.J. Louis, police said.
The investigation revealed that Louis removed business checks from the complaint’s residence in St. Thomas without authorization after she hired Louis, who was doing business as Supreme Clean USVI, to clean her residence, according to police.
“The investigation further revealed that he used the stolen checks to pay for mechanic work on a vehicle he was operating in St. Thomas and wrote checks to a third party, to whom he paid a fee for assisting him in cashing the checks at a St. Thomas bank,” Freeman said.
A check with the Department of Licensing and Consumer confirmed that Loius applied for a business license for janitorial service and supply but was denied in May 2023. The suspect does not have a business license to conduct business in the Virgin Islands.
On August 2, 2024, an arrest warrant was issued by Magistrate Judge Paula Norkaitis for Ke’Shawn Louis’ arrest.
On September 3, 2024, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Ke’ Shawn Louis turned himself in to the
Economic Crime Unit detective on St. Thomas.
Louis was placed under arrest and transported to the Richard N. Callwood Command to be booked and processed,
Louis was unable to post bail in an undisclosed amount and immediately jailed.