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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesMonsanto, Two Others, Sentenced to Federal Prison Terms

Monsanto, Two Others, Sentenced to Federal Prison Terms

Edwin Monsanto, who was arrested in the investigation that also resulted in the arrest of Roberto Tapia, director of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources’ Division of Environmental Enforcement, was one of three men sentenced to federal prison Thursday in unrelated cases.

According to U.S. Attorney Ronald Sharpe, District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez handed down sentences Thursday in the following cases.

• Gomez sentenced Monsanto, 54, of St. Thomas, to 33 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, Sharpe said.

Monsanto pleaded guilty Jan. 29, 2014, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 20 kilograms of cocaine. He was arrested as part of the Tapia investigation.

On Nov. 7, Monsanto was charged in a 69-count third superseding indictment, along with Tapia, Angelo Hill, Walter Hill, Jr., Stephen Torres, Eddie Lopez-Lopez, Raymond Brown, Hector Alcenio, and Angel L. Negron-Beltran.

As part of his sentence, Monsanto also was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, perform 150 hours of community service, and forfeit all proceeds of his crime.

• Carlos Jamoi Norman, 23, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

On Nov. 18, Norman pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment. He has been in custody since Dec. 31.

According to documents filed in court, Norman was involved in an altercation in the Oswald Harris Court housing community during which shots were fired. When Virgin Islands police officers arrived at the scene they were given descriptions of the people discharging the firearms.

Officers proceeded to go to each apartment to talk to the occupants. As officers approached the apartment in which Norman was located, he got up and ran. Officers captured him at the back door of the apartment. During a search of Norman, officers found a black holster on his waist. A search of the apartment revealed a Springfield Armory XD .40 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number.

In addition to a prison term, Norman was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.

• Davidson L. Alfred, 54, of St. John, was sentenced by Gomez to 17 months in prison and two years of supervised release for bank fraud, Sharpe said.

Gomez ordered Alfred to serve his sentence consecutively to a 16-month sentence he received Jan. 29 for violating the conditions of his supervised release in another criminal case.

At the conclusion of Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Alfred was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service to begin serving his sentence.

Court records show that Alfred pleaded guilty to count one of an indictment charging him with presenting for payment a forged check to Banco Popular de Puerto Rico in the amount of $2,500.

As part of his guilty plea, Alfred also admitted that he presented additional forged checks drawn on the same account, totaling approximately $44,450.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim L. Chisholm.

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