Golden Grove Prisoner Sentenced To 34 Months For Possession Of Prison Contraband

St. Croix, USVI – Chief District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis, on May 22, 2015, sentenced Gregoire George, 37, to 34 months in prison for Possession of Prison Contraband, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced. Judge Lewis ordered George to serve the sentence consecutively to the sentence he was serving at the time he committed the offense.

Following a three-day jury trial, George was convicted of two counts of Possession of Prison Contraband and one count of Promoting Prison Contraband. Evidence presented at trial established that on June 14, 2013, while an inmate at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility on St. Croix, George possessed a cell phone and a homemade knife or “shank” inside his cell. Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections (BOC) officers found both items during a search of the facility.

“Contraband in prison threatens the safety and security of inmates, employees, and the community as a whole,” U.S. Attorney Sharpe said. “Cell phones, in particular, can be used to facilitate criminal activity inside and outside of Golden Grove including narcotics distribution and murder.”

George was sentenced to 34 months in prison for possessing a shank, 10 months for possessing a cell phone, and 12 months for promoting prison contraband, all to be served concurrently.

The case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and BOC. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami S. Badawy.