A St. Thomas man currently awaiting trial in V.I. Superior Court for his alleged involvement in a string of recent crimes was convicted by a federal jury Wednesday of firearm, robbery and assault charges, which could put him in jail for more than 75 years.
Ritchie Fontaine, a 22-year-old Dominican native, has been a fixture in Superior Court for the past few months, most recently appearing at an advice of rights and arraignment hearings on a first-degree murder charge. Arrested late last month for allegedly gunning down Phillip John George near the Lexus Night Club in Smith Bay in early March, Fontaine has also been accused of being one of the shooters in a gunfire exchange near E. Benjamin Oliver Elementary School, which put one student in the hospital.
Fontaine was on trial this week in V.I. District Court, appearing before a federal jury on charges stemming from an August 14 incident in which he and an accomplice robbed two men at gun point, taking their cell phones, wallets and jewelry. The victims reported the incident immediately after it happened, and police arrested Fontaine nine days later.
Along with being convicted of first- and second-degree robbery charges, Fontaine was also found guilty of six firearm violations: five counts of using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, and one count of receiving a gun while criminal charges were pending against him, which carries maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Fontaine also faces up to 20 years in prison for the first-degree robbery conviction, 15 years for the second-degree robbery and assault convictions and a mandatory 15-year minimum for each of the five possession charges, along with $125,000 in fines.
He is scheduled to appear before Presiding District Court Judge Curtis Gomez in February for sentencing, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office
