Four Bureau of Corrections Officers Arrested on Charges of Providing Prison Contraband

St. Croix, USVI – Waheeda Ali, 32, Abdul Robinson, 38, Patrick Richards, 41, Eustace Roper, 51, were arrested yesterday pursuant to criminal complaints filed against them on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced today. They made their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge George Cannon in district court yesterday. All defendants were released on bail pending the filing of formal charges.

The complaints resulted from years of investigative work by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who conducted a probe into official corruption within the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections.

The complaints charge all defendants with varying counts of providing contraband in prison, promoting dangerous prison contraband and conflict of interest. If convicted of providing prison contraband, the defendants face a maximum of one year of incarceration. If convicted of promoting dangerous prison contraband, they face a maximum sentence of five years’ incarceration. If convicted of conflict of interest, they face a minimum sentence of one year of incarceration and a maximum sentence of five years.

A complaint is merely an informal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.