The lead attorney for prosecution of Virgin Islands public corruption cases has resigned, apparently because of a contract dispute.
Attorney Boyd Sprehn, who has worked with the special Task Force on Public Corruption for the past year, has already left the V.I. Justice Department and could not be reached for comment Friday.
Both Attorney General Iver Stridiron and V.I. Inspector General Steven Van Beverhoudt praised Sprehn's work and lamented his departure. The task force is a joint effort between their agencies, funded by a federal grant through the Law Enforcement Planning Commission.
They said they will meet this afternoon to talk about finding a replacement.
"I think it's a temporary setback," said Van Beverhoudt. Prosecutions may have to be put on hold.
"I'm hoping that by May they'll have a replacement," he said. Meanwhile, "that's not going to stop us from doing our investigations."
The Insepctor General's office continues to work with Nicholas Peru, special agent for the V.I. Justice Department, on investigating cases of public corruption.
Stridiron was also optimistic that Justice will find a replacement very quickly. He said he is reviewing resumes that he received last year when the territory first advertised for the position.
Sprehn was paid $75,000 a year; his contract ran through January of this year.
Problems arose with the renewal partly because the grant money was not released in a timely manner, Stridiron and Van Beverhoudt said.
"Apparently there is some issue between LEPC and the federal government," Stridiron said, that resulted in the money coming late this year.
"The local government couldn't sign off on (the contract renewal) until the funds were in place," Van Beverhoudt said.
Stridiron also blamed local bureaucracy. He said at one point Justice was told Sprehn needed a license to practice, which Justice disputed, and that Sprehn's payments came late. He tried putting Sprehn on the local payroll but could only offer him $65,000, plus benefits.
The task force worked with but was separate from Justice's White Collar Crime Unit. Assistant Attorney General Winston Chen is director of that unit.
