April 1, 2008 — Two years after he was sentenced to probation on charges of falsely obtaining money from the V.I. government, lying to government officials, and converting federal funds for personal use, former Health Commissioner Lucien Moolenaar II now has to serve 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
In August 2004, a jury found Moolenaar guilty of keeping 63 erroneous paychecks between 1995 and 2005 — which amounted to $102,497.89 — and converting nearly $40,674 in federal funds for his own personal use. However, Moolenaar testified during the trial that he had not been aware of the overpayments until he was notified by government authorities.
He further stated that he did not handle his own finances, but left that to his wife. (See "Jury Finds Moolenaar Guilty on All Counts").
Despite the guilty verdict, District Court Judge Raymond Finch sentenced Moolenaar to probation — a sentence that prompted prosecutors to challenge Finch's decision. The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently threw out the ruling and sent the case back to District Court, where visiting Judge Juan Sanchez recently re-sentenced Moolenaar to more than a year of jail time, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to a recent article in the V.I. Daily News, Sanchez also gave Moolenaar a month to close down his dental practice and get ready for jail. Moolenaar has already repaid what he took from the government, but is still obligated to pay about $30,883, the article said.
During the recent sentencing hearing, Sanchez said there was "overwhelming evidence" to indicate that Moolenaar knew he was being overpaid. Instead of coming clean to government officials, Moolenaar made a "litany of excuses," and placed the blame on others, the article said.
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
