CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A man who was captured on video surveillance near a bag of guns stashed in Hospital Ground on St. Thomas got just two and a half years in prison.
Nijontea Walker, 21, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert Malloy to 30 months imprisonment followed by 30 months supervised release for possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number and for possessing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school zone, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
According to court documents, Walker was arrested after an April 8, 2020 incident which
occurred while Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) officers were patrolling the Hospital
Ground neighborhood in St. Thomas due to recent shootings.
VIPD officers pursued a group of individuals, including Walker, after the group ran when officers approached. Walker was observed holding a black bag containing an AK-47 firearm with an obliterated serial number. The bag and firearm were later recovered after being abandoned during the pursuit.
Walker was sentenced on September 8 and federal prosecutors revealed the judge’s ruling today.
This case was investigated by VIPD and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives (ATF). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Payne.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that
threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at: https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF