CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Despite a guilty plea, a St. Thomas man faces 20 years in prison for knocking over a jewelry store near Drake’s Passage on the downtown waterfront, authorities said. Jamari S. Benjamin appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller in the U.S. District Court and entered a guilty

FREDERIKSTED — A St. Croix woman convicted in a jury trial for her part in a complex tax fraud scheme was given 3.75 years in prison by a federal judge, authorities said. Jacinta Gussie, 59, of Frederiksted, was given that sentence by U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis on

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Puerto Rican man who falsely claimed that hundreds of thousands of dollars he was smuggling on a boat to St. Thomas were legitimately earned “giving tourists diving tours” faces five years in prison, authorities said. Blas Sebastian Panzardi Davila, 38, of San Juan pleaded guilty in

FREDERIKSTED — U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert of the District of the Virgin Islands announced that a Georgia man pleaded guilty in federal court today to possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. According to court documents, Ra’Kheel Velasquez, 24, of Georgia traveled to St. Croix on

FREDERIKSTED — U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that a St. Augustine woman was arrested on November 6, 2021 in St. Croix on criminal charges relating to her travel to St. Croix from Charlotte, North Carolina via commercial airline on November 6, According to court documents, she possessed two checked

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man convicted of possession of marijuana got off easy — being sentenced to only time served — but the feds also said they’d confiscate his vehicle into the bargain. Tashawn T.A. Warner, 24, resident of St. Thomas, V.I., was sentenced to time served in

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Florida habitual offender was given more than three years in prison by a federal judge for smuggling at least 27.8 pounds of marijuana into the territory, authorities said. Marvin Forbes, 49, from Orlando, was sentenced to 37 months of incarceration by Chief U.S. District Court Judge

SAN JUAN — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), reported this week that it will be offering a reward of $5,000 for information on the whereabouts of Geofley Jomar Pérez, one of the suspects for the kidnapping of three people in the restaurant El Hipopótamo in Rio Piedras, which culminated in

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man who smuggled 7.7 pounds of marijuana into the territory aboard a commercial airline flight was given probation by a federal judge. Kharim Moore of Charlotte Amalie was sentenced today to three years’ probation, fined $1,000, and ordered to complete 100 hours of community

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Croix woman who smuggled more than 13 pounds of marijuana into St. Thomas aboard a commercial aircraft was given probation by a federal judge. Raquel Rivera of Kingshill was sentenced for the federal crime of possession with intent to distribute six kilograms of marijuana. Rivera