Category: U.S. Department of Justice

Puerto Rico Man Gets 6 Months In Prison After Bringing $316,930 By Sea To St. Thomas

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Puerto Rican man who came to St. Thomas with more than $300,000 in cold cash stuffed into the cooler on his boat got less than one year in prison from a federal judge. Blas Sebastian Panzardi Davila, 38, of San Juan, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Molloy to […]

Armored Truck CEO Admits Fraud In Multimillion Dollar Dirty Gold Money Laundering Conspiracy

MIAMI — Jesus Gabriel Rodriguez, Jr., 45, former CEO of Transvalue, a South Florida company that transported gold, cash, and other valuables by armored truck, pled guilty yesterday to submitting false customs documents that hid the true origin of gold being imported into Miami as part of a $140 million transnational illicit gold smuggling operation. […]

Colombian Who Used Fake ID To Bring Ecstasy To St. Croix Admits To Not Being A U.S. Citizen

CHRISTIANSTED — A Colombian national who brought ecstasy, ketamine and a fake ID to the St. Croix airport last December has admitted to entering the United States illegally. Andres Bejarano, 33, of Bogota, pleaded guilty today to falsely claiming he was a United States citizen, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said. According to court documents, […]

Venezuelan Pleads Guilty To Smuggling 108 Pounds of Cocaine Into St. Croix By Sea

CHRISTIANSTED — A Venezuelan national today admitted in federal court to smuggling 108 pounds of cocaine into the territory. Johan Garcia Suarez, 33, of Caracas, one of eleven Venezuelan nationals apprehended at sea off of St. Croix, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine while on board […]

Cruise Ship Changes Course After U.S. Judge Orders Its Seizure

MIAMI — A cruise ship that was supposed to dock in Florida has instead sailed to the Bahamas, after a U.S. judge granted an order to seize the vessel as part of a lawsuit over $4 million in unpaid fuel. Cruise trackers show Crystal Symphony currently docked in the Bahamian island of Bimini. “We all […]

2 Fugitives From Justice Arrested At St. Thomas Airport: VIPD

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Two fugitives from justice were detained at the St. Thomas airport on unrelated matters on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. Michael I. Montanez Jr., 24, of Deltona, Florida, was arrested at the Cyril E. King Airport at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detained […]

Analysis: As Haiti Investigation Stalls, U.S. Probes President’s Killing

PORT-AU-PRINCE — The United States is becoming increasingly involved in the investigation of Haitian President Jovenel Moise’s murder, with key suspects facing the prospect of trial in U.S. courts, as a probe by the Caribbean nation’s authorities stalls. Congress last week ordered the U.S. State Department to produce a report about the July 7 assassination, […]

USVI Had Highest Number Of Sex Trafficking Cases In USA Handled By Feds

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — V.I. Attorney General Denise George announced a collaboration with the national child protection thinktank, CHILD USA, local and federal law enforcement agencies as well as victim services organizations in the Virgin Islands to spearhead programs to combat human trafficking crimes that have plagued the Virgin Islands for years. This month, proclaimed by […]

Machuchal Man Who Carjacked And Robbed St. Croix Couple Gets 13.6 Years

CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix man who carjacked and robbed a couple at gunpoint on the north shore got 13.6 years in prison from a federal judge, authorities said. Chriss Cepeda, 25, of Estate Profit, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis and was sentenced January 20, 2022 on the federal charges of […]

3RD TIME’S A CHARM? Twice Deported Mexican Arrested Trying To Enter The USA

CHARLOTTE AMALIE – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Luis Enrique De Jesus Colin Ochoa, 25, a Mexican National, appeared before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Wednesday for his initial appearance hearing following his arrest Tuesday on the charge of unlawful reentry of an alien after removal. Ochoa again appeared before Magistrate […]