Rehelio Trant, 39, and Gamba Potter, 32, both of St. Thomas, made their initial appearances Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller after being charged in an indictment with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C. F. Shappert announced.
Shappert said Trant and Potter were detained pending further proceedings. Both are scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.
According to the indictment, on Sept. 8 the V.I. Police Department received a report from two individuals that Trant and Potter were in possession of firearms that they pointed at them during a robbery. Investigators determined that Trant previously had been convicted in the District Court of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and Potter had previously been convicted in the Superior Court of unauthorized possession of a firearm. Neither Trant nor Potter are licensed in the district of the Virgin Islands to possess a firearm.
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the VIPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
