May 20, 2009 — After being indicted this week by a federal grand jury on charges ranging from racketeering to attempted murder, V.I. Police Officer Jerome Blyden was arrested Wednesday morning by the FBI and advised of his rights in District Court.
The hearing was quick, with a couple minutes of testimony from one FBI agent who said he picked Blyden up at his home in Estate Fortuna around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday after a warrant for his arrest had been issued by the court. Blyden's arrest came on the heels of a more than 20-month federal investigation that put Blyden at the center of a crime ring that allegedly dealt in cocaine trafficking and the operation of an illegal dog fighting business from about 1999 until October 2005.
U.S. Attorney Kim Lindquist recommended Wednesday that Blyden be held pending trial.
"While the government does have the right to ask for this, you also have the right to a hearing, which has to take place within the next three days," U.S. Magistrate Judge Geoffrey Barnard said to Blyden, who appeared in court dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jean shorts. Barnard scheduled Blyden's detention hearing for 10 a.m. Friday.
The five-count indictment charges Blyden with one count each of racketeering, attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a drug trafficking crime and assault with a dangerous weapon. Similar charges have been applied to Gelean Mark, who is described in the 12-page indictment as the leader of the crime ring, dubbed the Mark-Blyden Enterprise.
The indictment said the enterprise protected its "power, territory and profits … though the use of violence, including attempted murder and keeping victims in fear of the enterprise and its members and associates through violence and intimidation." More specifically, the document alleges that Mark and Blyden attempted to kill Trevor Nicholas Friday Jr. in May 2004 after he "threatened the enterprise's affairs."
Around the same time, Blyden allegedly assaulted Damien Daniel with a dangerous weapon, the document said.
Blyden allegedly used his position as a police officer to protect the gambling business, and was an "enforcer" for the enterprise's narcotics operation, which imported drugs into the United States, according to the indictment. Mark was first indicted on separate — but similar — drug trafficking charges in 2006 for his alleged involvement in an operation that moved drugs up from South America into the territory.
Mark is currently being detained in connection with the two federal cases, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Blyden was first brought up on attempted murder charges in 2004, and was put on paid administrative leave while both internal VIPD and criminal investigations were launched. He was recommended for termination twice, but both requests were denied at the time by an individual acting in the capacity of governor. (See "When Officers Cross the Line: An In-Depth Look at Police Internal Affairs.")
Blyden was officially suspended without pay Wednesday, said Police Commissioner James McCall, who has been repeatedly chastised by senators and other police officials for not putting Blyden back on to active duty.
If convicted, both men could be sentenced to life in prison and fined $250,000.
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.
