Jahmal A. Todman, 21, pleaded guilty to two charges in federal court Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced. Todman had been indicted on Oct. 1 for possession of a firearm within a school zone and first-degree assault after an Aug. 23 incident on St. John.
Todman entered his pleas before District Court Chief Judge Curtis V. Gomez. As part of the plea arrangements, Todman admitted that on August 23, within 1,000 feet of the Julius Sprauve School on St. John, he attempted to rob four people and struck one with a firearm. After a brief struggle, the victims subdued Todman and held him until the police arrived.
Todman is scheduled to be sentenced in February after completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for possession of a firearm in a school zone, and up to 15 years in prison for the first-degree assault charge. Todman is being detained pending sentencing.
In announcing the conviction, U.S. Attorney Sharpe praised the investigatory work of the V.I. Police Department.
