BVI Boat Captain Who Raced Through USVI With Illegals On Board Gets 8 Months In Prison

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A British Virgin Islands boat captain who failed to slow his vessel down in U.S. Virgin Islands territorial waters and then led federal agents on a high speed chase through Coral Bay got less than one year in prison for his antics.

Buney Chinnery, 22, of Road Town, Tortola, was sentenced by Chief District Judge Robert Molloy to eight months incarceration on his conviction for failure to heave to law enforcement and giving a false statement, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on October 31, 2022, at approximately 9:00
p.m., U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine agents were conducting border security
patrol between the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

Agents approached Coral Bay, St. John, and observed Chinnery’s vessel operating without navigation lights. Despite continued warnings and attempts to stop the vessel, Chinnery refused to stop and accelerate his vessel while operating the it in an evasive manner.

Agents eventually disabled the vessel and later discovered Chinnery along with six individuals attempting to gain illegal entry into the United States.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natasha Baker