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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Fugitive Oliver Cops Plea for Short Jail Term

After nearly 12 years on the run, and almost a decade since she was indicted in federal court, fugitive Lucinda J. Oliver appeared in St. Croix’s U.S. District Court Monday where she pleaded guilty to bribery and unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced to at least 6 months in jail.

Oliver, 65, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Nov. 11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after arriving on board a private vessel from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. CBP determined that Oliver was wanted in conjunction with a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands, for charges related to bribery, false statements, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Oliver was released Saturday on a $100,000 unsecured bond, and voluntarily surrendered to authorities after flying from Puerto Rico to St. Croix. Arraignment was set for 1 p.m. Monday but a plea bargain was reached prior to the hearing. Defense attorney Gordon C. Rhea and Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise A. Hinds informed Judge Raymond L. Finch that Oliver had agreed to plead guilty to two of the six counts, which satisfied the government.

Oliver was a contractor with Island Villas, and was hired to repair buildings at Castle Burke and Estate Adventure on St. Croix from Sep. 1995 to Aug. 1998. According to the indictment, from Dec. 1995 through Jul. 1997, the V.I. Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation (DPHR), received $10,000 each year from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair buildings affected by Hurricane Marilyn. It charged that Oliver didn’t conduct the repairs with the money, but instead paid Carl Ronald Kingston, an agent of DHPR, to inflate invoices with services not performed. She paid Kingston cash, and allowed him unlimited use of her 1994 Honda Accord.

Additionally, the indictment charged that Oliver made false statements knowingly to FEMA and the FBI, that she never paid Kingston and that she purchased a firearm legally in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Oliver agreed to plead guilty to bribery concerning receiving federal funds, and to unlawful possession of a firearm, but did not agree that she made false statements to FEMA and the FBI.

In a rare move by the court, Finch allowed Rhea’s request to forego the lengthy process of scheduling a sentencing hearing, and agreed instead to sentence her on the spot.

Oliver stated under oath and through tears that she was guilty, and admitted that she was sorry for her actions.

Finch accepted Oliver’s plea agreement and sentenced her to six to 12 months on the first count, and six months on the fifth count, to be served concurrently in federal prison, fined her $1,500, and informed her that she would serve three years probation after release from prison.

When asked how Oliver felt about the sentencing, Rhea responded “Mrs. Oliver is glad that this is behind her and she looks forward to having a productive life. She also would like to thank Judge Finch in the fairness that he showed in his sentencing.”

Oliver will formally surrender to the U.S. Marshall’s office Tuesday.

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