Jashawn Bailey, 30 of St. Thomas, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, acting U.S. Attorney Joycelyn Hewlett announced.
District Judge Curtis V. Gomez remanded Bailey into the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending his sentencing on Aug. 8.
According to the plea agreement, on Dec. 14 V.I. Police Department officers, while processing a crime scene, discovered a .45 Taurus firearm with an obliterated serial number wrapped in a T-shirt and hat. The investigation revealed that those items belonged to Bailey.
Further, the firearm was determined to be operable and had traveled in interstate commerce. Bailey does not possess a license for the firearm in the Virgin Islands.
Bailey faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to Hewlett.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the VIPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.