Category: U.S. Department of Justice

NLRB, Local Government Settle Divi Carina Bay Casino Union Lawsuit

CHRISTIANSTED — The National Labor Relations Board has settled a lawsuit against the Virgin Islands government and the Casino Control Commission, resolving a dispute over union activities at Divi Carina Bay Resort on St. Croix. The parties entered a settlement agreement on January 28, according to a notice of voluntary dismissal submitted last week by […]

WHAT’S THE HOLDUP? Plaskett, Payne Weigh In On U.S. Attorney Confirmation Delay

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Virgin Islands Senator-at-Large Steven Payne Jr. said Monday that he’d written a letter to U.S. Senator Tom Cotton “expressing outrage that partisan politics is standing in the way of the U.S. Senate confirming the first Black woman to be the U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Virgin Islands.” Payne referred to the historic […]

U.S. Attorney’s Office Notes National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Prevention Month

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAPM), a time to raise awareness about this all-too common issue, focus efforts on ending the violence, and share resources for teens experiencing violence, survivors, and their communities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the U.S. […]

Greasy Spoon Owner Who Stole $383,397 In PPP Funds Gets 2.75 Years … She Only Has $10K Left

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The owner of a small restaurant, who conspired with unnamed people in Florida to fraudulently get a loan of nearly $400,000 under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, has been given 2.75 years in prison. Mashama Ferdinand, 38, of St. Thomas was sentenced on Friday to 33 months incarceration by Judge Robert A. […]

Dominican Drug Lord ‘Papin’ Extradited From Sint Maarten To Face Charges In Puerto Rico

PHILIPSBURG — Dominican drug lord Justo Germán “Papín” Rosario was extradited from Sint Maarten to the United States to face drug trafficking charges filed in Puerto Rico.  “This extradition is another important step in our fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. “Over the past years, the District […]

Dominican Who Kept Venezuelan Women As Sex Slaves In St. Thomas ‘Dungeon’ Gets 6.5 Years

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A federal judge ordered a Dominican woman to sit in prison for six and 1/2 years and pay nearly $1 million in restitution for her role in a prostitution ring that recruited females as young as 17. Yohanna Gonzalez-McFarlane, 40, of the Dominican Republic, appeared before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert […]

2 Men Arrested For Plotting To Move 190 Pounds of Cocaine Through St. Thomas

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Federal criminal charges have been filed against two men for conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, following the seizure of 86 kilograms of cocaine and a firearm at a Frenchtown residence on St. Thomas Yefri Martinez Herrera of the Dominican Republic and Kelly Bruney of the Caribbean were arrested […]

Feds and VIPD Find Gun And Drugs At John F. Kennedy Terrace During Joint Operation

CHRISTIANSTED — Federal agents and local police officers seized an illegal gun and drugs during a joint operation at a Richmond housing project this weekend. Crime Stoppers USVI got a tip about “possible illegal activity” occurring at the John F. Kennedy Terrace and forwarded it to authorities, the Virgin Islands Police Department said. “During the […]

The Price You Sometimes Pay For Human Trafficking, Drug Smuggling Is … Your Life

MIAMI — Little is known about the 40 people believed to have been aboard a boat that capsized and was found this week near Florida’s coast with just one survivor. But they were on a route often traveled by migrants trying to enter the U.S. clandestinely, and authorities suspect the trip was organized by smugglers. Apprehensions of […]

Dominican Man Who Used WhatsApp To Try To Throw Feds Off Cocaine Trail Gets 2.75 Years

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Dominican man who tried to evade scrutiny of his illegal drug trafficking operation by using the offline app WhatsApp got nearly three years in prison from a federal judge. Tommy Ramirez, 32, originally from the Dominican Republic and residing in St. Thomas, was sentencedto 33 months in prison for conspiracy to […]