CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Sheldon Marsh filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Virgin Islands attorney David Bornn and developer Christian Loranger of VIElectron orchestrated a false land claim against historic Marsh family property on St. John.
According to the complaint, their actions clouded title and led Core One Development Group to cancel its planned solar project for St. John.
On September 10, 2025, Sheldon Marsh filed a federal lawsuit in the District Court of Connecticut, Case 3:25-cv-01504-VAB.
The complaint alleges that Virgin Islands attorney David Bornn and developer Christian Loranger orchestrated a false land claim filed by VIElectron in Virgin Islands Superior Court against Marsh family land on St. John.
Attorney Bornn is the former Chief Legal Counsel to the Governor and now Senior Counsel at Marjorie Rawls Roberts, P.C. Christian Loranger, head of VIElectron, is a developer active on St. John. According to the federal complaint, their actions clouded title and forced Core One Development Group to abandon its solar lease. On Jan. 25, 2024, Core confirmed it would not renew the project because of the lis pendens (Exhibit Q), cutting off solar power planned for St. John.
On Oct. 16, 2023, VIElectron filed suit in Virgin Islands Superior Court asserting it had reached an oral agreement to purchase an unspecified portion of the Marsh family’s land for an unspecified price, and that a $4,800 payment on April 3, 2023, was a good faith payment toward the deal. The lawsuit asks the court to force a transfer of the land, threatening to strip the Marsh family of property it has held for generations.
“Their filing has not only stalled the possibility of clean power for St. John, it has blocked investment and construction jobs and delayed a project meant to celebrate and honor Virgin Islands history,” Marsh said.
However, exhibits tell a very different story. On April 1, 2023, in a text message to Marsh, Loranger asked about the price of an archaeology report and agreed to pay $4,800 for full rights to use it (Exhibit C), confirming the payment was for surveys, not land. That same $4,800 was wired on April 3, 2023 (Exhibit E), followed by delivery of the survey documents and related email correspondence (Exhibits D–E). In a Sept. 20, 2023, email (Exhibit I), months after the alleged April agreement, Loranger wrote that if the Core option were terminated “we can come to some agreement,” which the federal complaint cites as evidence that no agreement then existed. Just weeks later, on Oct. 4, 2023, Attorney Bornn asserted in an email to Marsh’s counsel that an agreement already existed as of April 2023, and that the $4,800 was purchase consideration (Exhibit L). Those statements were repeated in VIElectron’s lawsuit, leading to the lis pendens that clouded title to the property.
“All it takes is someone of courage, a piece of leather, and a small stone to make the powerful stumble and remind them they can fall,” Marsh said.
Complaint and selected exhibits can be found at the following Google Drive links:
Complaint:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zAVHZB0Uqzy5PI6HFZts0uaP1qq5NJwe/view?usp=sharing
Selected Exhibits:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zeNFUIemP7kPmURtCiKFREq2-brpU8Ig/view?usp=sharing
Full complaint and complete exhibit set available upon request and on PACER, Federal District Court of Connecticut, Case 3:25-cv-01504-VAB.
Selected Exhibits included in the PDF:
• Exhibit C–E: Texts, emails, and wire showing the $4,800 payment was for surveys, not land.
• Exhibit I: Sept. 20, 2023 email: “we can come to some agreement” if Core option ended.
• Exhibit L: Oct. 4, 2023 email from Attorney Bornn claiming an agreement already existed.
• Exhibit Q: Jan. 25, 2024 Core One Development Group letter canceling its lease due to the lis pendens.
For additional questions or interviews, please contact Sheldon Marsh directly.
