Dominican National Sentenced as Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm

St. Thomas, USVI – Lester Charles, 36, a national of Dominica, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.

District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced Charles to 24 months imprisonment and three (3) years of supervised release.

According to court documents, a Virgin Islands Police Department officer went to an area in Lindberg Bay where Charles and another individual became involved in a heated dispute over a parking space. Charles left the scene and returned 15 minutes later with a firearm. He proceeded to chase and point the firearm at the victim. The firearm, a Beretta Pierto Model CAT-5802, was recovered by law enforcement at the scene, along with 10 rounds of ammunition, including one round in the chamber of the firearm. The defendant admitted to law enforcement officers that he had possessed the gun.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Virgin Islands Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter.