St. Thomas Man Sentenced to 71 Months for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon

St. Thomas, USVI- Rehelio Trant, 39, of St. Thomas, was sentenced today in District Court for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, United States Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.

District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced Trant to 71 months incarceration which will be consecutive to any other sentence the defendant may serve. In addition, Judge Gomez ordered that Trant be placed on three years supervised release, complete 300 hours of community service, and pay a $100 special assessment and a $2,000 fine.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on October 16, 2017, the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) received a report from an individual that Trant brandished a firearm after a verbal confrontation with that individual. Trant had a prior conviction for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and firearms are not manufactured in the Virgin Islands.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Virgin Islands Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.