Overnight, Governor Bryan has asked Office of Management and Budget Director Jenifer O'Neal to tender her resignation. O’Neal was subpoenaed to testify and or give evidence in a Grand Jury trial scheduled for June 24, 2024. Her phone was seized and she was handed a search warrant.
Unconfirmed information is suggesting that the investigation focuses on a cybersecurity and surveillance contract that was awarded by the VIPD to a company that allegedly provided Ray Martinez, Commissioner of Police, with funding for an eatery he has been planning to open on St. Thomas.
Ray Martinez was also asked to resign.
The FBI’s net has now widened to USVI Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White. White’s cellphone was seized by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents last week, in the latest wave of federal criminal investigations sweeping the territory.
Early information we are understanding is that Mr. White is being investigated in connection with a $1.8 million bid issued by DSPR for the installation of cameras on DSPR-owned facilities.
We understand the bid was awarded to Mon Ethos Pro Support, or MEPSVI, the same company believed to have been awarded several VIPD contracts. The most recent VIPD contract was awarded to Mon Ethos on Oct. 10, 2023, "to provide investigative support through data discovery and forensic analysis services." The contract is worth $1.4 million, plus another $134,564 for travel expenses.
It appears a contract was not executed between DSPR and Mon Ethos, despite, the company was awarded the bid, and federal agents are investigating potential interactions between Mr. White and principals of the company.
Federal agents have requested that Mr. White provide all documents related to the bidding process to aid in their investigation, as they sift through data collected on his phone.
"I recused myself from the bidding process because I knew that Anthony Thomas is part of the company, and Anthony Thomas and I worked together. I wasn't part of the bid packages, the evaluation, the scores, the selection — none of that. I was not part of any of that, and there's a document showing that," Calvert White
Governor Albert Bryan is holding a press conference at 10:00 a.m. this morning. V.I. Attorney Nominee General Gordon Rhea is also expected to be present.
On Thursday, 13 June, the V.I. Department of Education Director of Maintenance Davidson Charlemagne and former V.I. Housing Finance Authority Chief Operating Officer Darin Richardson — two high-ranking government officials — were arrested after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging them with government program fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. Mr. Charlemagne's wife, Sasha, was also arrested and charged in the alleged scheme.
Guavaberry Media will continue to bring breaking developments on this saga.