St. Thomas Man Charged with Bringing Illegal Aliens into the U.S. Territory and Two Charged with Unlawful Entry

St. Thomas, USVI – Kalik Aaron, 22, Arkim Clersaint, 20, and Le Shaun Fahie, 23, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller for an advice of rights hearing after being taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations on August 25, 2019. Aaron was charged with Bringing in or Harboring Illegal Aliens, and Clersaint and Fahie were both charged with Improper Entry by an Alien, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. At the conclusion of the hearing, Magistrate Miller released the defendants pending trial.

According to court documents, on Sunday, August 25, 2019, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Customs and Border Security (CBP) Marine Interdiction agents stopped a vessel operated by Aaron after it was observed leaving Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and entered the United States’ waters near St. John with improper lighting. After stopping the vessel, CPB’s Maritime Interdiction agents discovered two aliens and one United States citizen onboard. The aliens were identified as Clersaint and Fahie, both citizens of St. Lucia. Clersaint and Fahie provided the agents with St. Lucian passports, and Aaron provided proof of U.S. citizenship. Aaron, the captain of the vessel, told the agents that all three individuals had departed St. Thomas in the Frydenhoj Lagoon area on the evening of August 25, 2019, onboard the vessel, and traveled to Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands, for a few hours before returning to St. John. The point of entry and time of their arrival, however, is not a designated port of entry nor hour of operation for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This case is being investigated by Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Delia L. Smith.

United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that an information is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.