CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Ivan James, 40, Joh Williams, 38, Malachi Benjamin, 28, Ariel Petersen, 28, and Jahkiebo Joseph, 26, all of St. Croix, were sentenced by District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy led by Ivan James from his Estate LaGrange compound in Frederiksted, St. Croix, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith said today.
In February, Jurors in the trial of Ivan James and Joh Williams returned not guilty verdicts for the most serious charges related to the 2017 murder of Levar Pogson on St. Croix, but the jury found James guilty of aiding and abetting the killing, and both men were convicted of drug crimes.
The trial began in U.S. District Court on St. Thomas on January 19, 2024 and went on for over a week, with U.S. Attorney Smith leading the prosecution for the high-profile case.
Clockwise, from upper left, Elijah Jackson, Jamal J. Young, Ivan James and Malachi Benjamin.
According to evidence introduced at trial, the investigation into the James drug trafficking organization began in January 2013 after Bureau of Corrections officers at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility seized an iPhone from then inmate Joh Williams.
A search of the cell phone seized from Williams revealed text messages related to smuggling and distribution of narcotics in the prison.
Thereafter, Drug Enforcement Administration obtained authorization to intercept calls from a second cell phone used by Williams while incarcerated.
The wire investigation revealed evidence of cocaine and marijuana distribution within the facility by Williams which was supplied by Ivan James.
The investigation further revealed that Vivian Ford, a former corrections officer, was a member of James’ organization who smuggled narcotics into Golden Grove in food containers for distribution by Williams.
At trial, Tillisa Ceaser and Luis Ortiz, Jr. testified they were members of the James’ drug trafficking organization. Ceaser testified that between 2015 and 2018, she used her secured access at the Henry Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix to smuggled approximately six kilograms of cocaine per week onboard commercial aircrafts destined for the continental United States.
Ceaser further testified that she recruited couriers, including Ortiz, because Kai James wanted to increase the number of bricks of cocaine being smuggled through the airport. Trial evidence further revealed that, during the course of the conspiracy, Ivan James and Kai James caused several hundred kilograms of cocaine to be smuggled to the mainland using the operation at the airport.
Cooperating witness, Robert Brown, a member of a rival racketeering enterprise led by Paul “Bogus” Girard, testified that Vivian Ford traveled from St. Croix to St. Thomas on several occasions to purchase kilogram quantities of cocaine from Keith Lewis on behalf of Ivan James and Kai James. Brown further testified that Ivan James ordered members of his gang, including Jermaine Williams, to rob Brown of five kilograms of cocaine and that Brown was pistol whipped by Williams during the attack.
In retaliation, Brown murdered Williams as he sat in his vehicle in the parking lot of his child’s preschool.
Thereafter, in March 2016, Ivan James ordered members of his gang to murder Brown in retaliation for Williams’ murder.
On March 14, 2016, Brown and another individual were ambushed by at least three gunmen as their vehicle exited the Good Hope community.
Both occupants sustained multiple gunshot wounds but survived the attacked. Brown pled guilty to
Williams’ murder and faces a sentence of life imprisonment on his conviction.
On May 25, 2017, one day after Joh Williams was released from the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility, Virgin Islands Police officers responded to a shooting at D. Hamilton Jackson Terrace, where they found an unresponsive adult male, later identified as Levar Pogson, a rival gang member.
An eyewitness testified at trial that Ivan James, Joh Williams, and an individual identified as “Fire” approached the playground at D. Hamilton Jackson Terrace and that James and Williams were armed
with a handgun and a rifle.
The witness testified that James and Williams stood over Pogson’s body and fired more than 50 times.
A medical examiner testified that Pogson sustained 78 gunshots wounds to his head, neck, torso and extremities.
Testimony at trial further revealed that on July 14, 2017, federal agents conducted a marijuana eradication operation at James’ La Grange Compound in St. Croix after discovering six marijuana grow sites on the property.
At trial, the government introduced a social media posting made on July 14, 2017, by Ivan James as he confronted law enforcement during the marijuana eradication.
In the video, James called the agents “thieves” and stated they “gone with a thousand.”
The official count of the marijuana plants seized from the James compound was 1,005.
Thereafter, on August 3, 2017, federal agents executed a search warrant on James’ LaGrange compound where they seized a loaded Glock 22 .40 firearm, a loaded .223 caliber Olympic arms AR-15 rifle with
two magazines attached, two loaded .40 caliber pistols, and an AK-47 rifle.
Forensic analysis later revealed that Ivan James’ DNA was found on the Glock 22 pistol and the Olympic Arms AR-15 rifle.
Ballistic testing further revealed that the shell casings collected from Pogson’s homicide crime scene
on May 25, 2017, matched the casings fired from the Glock 22 pistol and Olympic Arms AR-15
rifle seized from James’ compound on August 3, 2017
A federal jury found Ivan James guilty on drug conspiracy, possession of 1,000 marijuana plants, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug conspiracy and possession of firearms resulting in the death of Legar Pogson.
On his conviction, Judge Kearney sentenced James to 420 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
Joh Williams was also found guilty on drug conspiracy and was sentenced to 90 months of imprisonment, followed by seven years of supervised release.
Ariel Petersen, and Jahkiebo Joseph pleaded guilty to possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug conspiracy and importation of firearms.
Petersen was sentenced to 93 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
Joseph was sentenced to 68 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.
Malachi Benjamin pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug conspiracy and was
sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
Tillisa Ceaser and Luis Ortiz, Jr. both pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
Williams was acquitted on the firearm possession resulting in Pogson’s death.
James and Williams were each acquitted on the local charge of first-degree murder.
The trial of Kai James is scheduled for January 22, 2025.
“The Ivan James Organization was a violent and lawless gang that terrorized and victimized the people of the Virgin Islands for over a decade,” stated United States Attorney Delia Smith. “The tremendous work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Patrol, Virgin Islands Police Department and the Bureau of Corrections delivered the ultimate reward to the people of St. Croix – just and lengthy sentences of imprisonment to those involved. These sentences demonstrate that the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners are committed to combating the threat of gang violence”, Smith said.
“The sentencing of Ivan James to 420 months of incarceration should send a powerful message: justice will prevail against those who threaten the safety and stability of our communities. This victory is a testament to the relentless commitment and seamless collaboration between federal and local law enforcement. Together, we are dismantling violent criminal networks and transnational drug organizations in the U.S. Virgin Islands, ensuring that those who sow violence and chaos will face the full weight of the law” stated Special Agent in Charge Denise Foster, DEA Caribbean Division.
“These sentences speak volume and are credited to the extensive collaboration between federal and local law enforcement partners. Our joint efforts are essential in the U.S. Virgin Islands towards combatting violent crimes and illicit activities of transnational criminal organizations in our area of responsibility,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Gonzalez-Ramos.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Patrol, Virgin Islands Police Department and the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections. It was prosecuted by United States Attorney Delia Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Payne and Adam Sleeper.
The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
