After a contentious two-week trial, a jury Friday found V.I. Police Department officers Enid Edwards and Francis Brooks guilty of 22 counts of racketeering, drug trafficking, bribery, conspiracy, extortion, kidnapping and conflict of interest.
The third defendant, Port Authority officer Bill John-Baptiste, was found guilty of a single charge of kidnapping, and not guilty on the seven other counts.
All three defendants sat stoically as the verdicts were read, not betraying a hint of emotion. Friends and relatives of officers Edwards and Brooks wept quietly in the gallery as the guilty verdicts piled up.
The trio was accused of running a criminal enterprise and faced an initial indictment of 54 federal and local counts related to six separate incidents that occurred between 2000 and 2008.
On Jan. 7, Judge Curtis Gomez dismissed 11 counts, citing lack of evidence under Rule 29, and on Tuesday dismissed 10 more. A single count was also thrown out Wednesday morning.
The jury began deliberating Wednesday evening after closing arguments, and continued throughout the day Thursday. Two of the 12 original jurors were replaced with alternates Thursday for unspecified reasons. By 11 a.m. Friday the jury announced that they had reached unaminous decisions on all the counts before them.
Brooks was also found guilty of five counts of extortion, robbery and conflict of interest, for which he was charged individually. Edwards was charged individually with two counts of structuring, and was found guilty of those as well.
Brooks and Edwards were found not guilty on two charges of kidnapping and kidnapping for extortion related to an incident involving taxi driver Yvese Calixte on April 2, 2008.
John-Baptiste was charged jointly with Brooks and Edwards on six counts relating to the April 2 incident, including two for extortion, and one each for kidnaping, kidnaping for extortion, bribery and conflict of interest.
For the same incident he was charged individually with one count each of of assault and sexual assault. He was found guilty of kidnapping, and not guilty on the seven other counts.
After the verdicts were read in their entirety, Gomez polled the jurors to ensure that each one agreed that their decisions were unanimous. Each of the 12 replied "yes."
After the jury was dismissed, attorney Robert King, Sr. indicated to the judge that he intended to file a motion for dismissal of the single count on which John-Baptiste was found guilty, due to lack of evidence. Attorney George Hodge said the same in respect to several counts on which Brooks was found guilty. Gomez gave them 60 days to file.
The case was prosecuted by Kim Lindquist, Nolan Paige and Kelly Lake from the U.S. Attorney’s office. None of the three commented about the verdict, but U.S. Attorney Ronald Sharpe issued a statement shortly afterward.
“It is a sad day when those sworn to uphold the law are found guilty of breaking it,” Sharpe said. “Those in law enforcement who choose to fight against corruption should not be overshadowed by the crimes of a few. The majority of honest, hardworking law enforcement officers should continue to be a source of pride and encouragement for all people of the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
Defense attorneys Jay Shreenath, King, and Hodge all declined to comment on the verdicts.
V.I. Police Commissioner Novelle E. Francis Jr. condemned the officers for abusing their positions and praised the jury for the guilty verdicts.
"The jury has spoken," Francis said in a statement. "There is no greater disservice to the public than officers who tarnish the badge. This verdict stands as a lesson to all those who seek to use the power they have been entrusted to aggrandize their own will. I thank the jurors for their tough, but decisive conviction in this arduous case. Thanks also to the prosecutor and law enforcement for a job well done."
Edwards, Brooks and John-Baptiste each face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and $250,000 in fines.
Gomez allowed all three defendants to remain free on bail while he reviews the defense attorneys’ motions and awaits the sentencing hearing, the date for which has not been determined yet.
Francis said proceedings to dismiss Edwards and Brooks from the police department will begin immediately.
The fate of John-Baptiste’s job is unclear, as Port Authority Police Chief Edred Wilkes was unavailable for comment.
