CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. John man was given two years in federal prison for transporting an illegal resident via ferry to St. Thomas, authorities said.
Courtney Matthias was sentenced today on his conviction for transporting an illegal alien, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Molloy sentenced Matthias to a 24-month term of imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, a $7,500 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents filed in the case, on October 1, 2019, five aliens traveled by boat from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands to St. John, where they entered the United States without inspection at a place not designated as a point of entry.
Matthias then transported several of those aliens in his vehicle to the ferry terminal in St. John. In addition, Matthias purchased a ferry ticket to St.
Thomas for one of the aliens and boarded the ferry with her.
This case was investigated by Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper.