Two officials of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) government resigned as a result of federal investigations and others were arrested on charges of corruption, as federal law enforcement agencies continue to scrutinize the territorial government.
Jenifer O’Neal, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Ray Martinez, the Police Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department, resigned on June 17. Director of Maintenance for the Department of Education Davidson Charlemagne and former Chief Operating Officer of the USVI Housing Finance Authority Darin Richardson were arrested by the FBI on June 13. Commissioner of Sports, Parks, and Recreation Calvert White is still under investigation.
Beginning in August of 2022, the USVI government disbursed $3.31 million to Mon Ethos Pro Support, a business focused on digital forensics, cybersecurity, and physical security systems. Of the $3.31 million, $1.7 million was provided by the Office of Management and Budget, and $1.5 million was from the Virgin Islands Police Department.
O’Neal and Martinez are both under federal investigation for exchanging contracts with Mon Ethos Pro Support in exchange for financial support. Federal agents confiscated their phones and served subpoenas earlier in June. Shortly after, Martinez was issued a target letter from the FBI and went before a grand jury on June 24.
Charlemagne and his wife Sasha Charlemagne were charged with “government program fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy,” based on allegations that Charlemagne, his wife, and Richardson all stole funding designated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for hurricane recovery in 2017.
In a press release, US Attorney Delia L. Smith said, “The indictment levied against these individuals sends a clear message that the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners followed the money and will continue to hold public officials seeking to profit from natural disasters accountable for their crimes.”
Governor Albert Bryan (D) acknowledged O’Neal’s resignation in a press conference, emphasizing his entrenched approach of governing with trust, and with that, a transparent team that allows citizens of USVI to see the administration’s efforts.
Bryan said, “The public allegations over the last few days have really threatened to erode a lot of that trust. We have worked so hard to build up that trust, and with one fell swoop, it can be eroded and diminished to nothing.”
Bryan added that he is actively working to promote honesty and lawful practice in the US Virgin Islands government, saying, “This past Monday, we began developing an ethics and conflict of interest training program, which is now more crucial than ever. It is being piloted within the Division of Personnel and will soon extend to all government agencies.”
He has set aside $1 million for the white-collar crime division at the Department of Justice to ensure and promote lawful conduct.
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