After a two-day trial, a federal jury on St. Thomas convicted Club Lexus owner Monique John of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a playground.
According to the release, issued Tuesday by U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe and Drug Enforcement Administration Resident Agent-in-Charge James Doby, John was also convicted of possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of crack.
Evidence presented at trial, which concluded last week, established that on Sept. 10, 2009, John sold two ounces of crack cocaine to a confidential source in exchange for $1,700. At the time of the exchange, the source was outfitted with an audio and video recording device that captured the transaction.
John faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, a fine of $4 million and a term of supervised release of at least five years, for possessing crack with intent to distribute.
For possessing the crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a playground, John faces twice the maximum punishment authorized for the underlying offense.
John is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 24 in federal district court on St. Thomas before Judge Curtis V. Gomez.
