The work of a federal grand jury looking into allegations of drug trafficking and armed robbery produced the profile of a brazen criminal enterprise that terrorized St. Croix and St. Thomas over a three year period.
Over four months and through continued effort, the list of alleged dirty deeds bloomed into a profile of organized crime never seen before in the Virgin Islands.
So did the number of people identified by the grand jury as actors in what became known as the Paul Girard Criminal Enterprise. On Wednesday 10 defendants are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court on St. Thomas, answering to charges of racketeering, murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, weapons possession and drug trafficking. Some of the criminal charges contained in the 50-page indictment released Jan. 17 could result in lengthy sentences or consideration of the federal death penalty.
In all, 11 people have been named as part of the alleged crime syndicate headed by Girard. The charges point to a pattern of crime that cannot be compared with anything the territory has seen. Included in the 47-count indictment are four murder charges, any of which carry the potential of a federal death sentence upon conviction.
Investigators charge that one murder took place at a Head Start daycare center on St. Croix. The indictment also alleges kidnapping in the instance of one murder victim, whose burned remains were found by authorities.
These and other were carried out in furtherance of the criminal enterprise, according to charging documents. 18 separate offenses associated with Girard and those described as lieutenants, soldiers, associates and facilitators, are alleged to have occurred between September 2013 and March 2016.
At the root of it all is an alleged drug conspiracy involving six co-defendants that began on or around Aug. 1, 2013, and continued up until the filing of the Third Superseding Indictment this month. The indictment names Girard, Shaquan Prentice, Robert Brown, Shaquille Correa, Etherneal Simon and Wayne Bellillie as co-conspirators in possession of five or more kilograms of cocaine, with intent to sell.
Among the charges, armed robbery of three St. Thomas jewelry stores – Gems and Gold Corner (Sept. 16, 2013); Signature Jewelers (Aug. 19, 2015) and 3Gs Jewelry & Repair (Sept. 14, 2015) – the Divi Racino at the Randal “Doc” James Racetrack on St. Croix (July 17, 2014), and an attempted armed robbery of the Scotia Bank branch at Sunny Isle Shopping Center (Dec. 9, 2015).
There were also alleged armed robberies of individuals netting cash, jewelry and cell phones, and an armed robbery at a bar in Williams Delight on or about Nov. 21, 2013.
Individuals also fell victim to alleged armed robbery at the Williams Delight Daycare Center on or about Sept. 26, 2013.
The names of more than half a dozen unindicted co-conspirators appear in connection with this aspect of the enterprise. Those names surfaced as the original indictment in the case, filed Sept 12, 2018, was replaced with a superseding indictment on Nov. 5.
When the second superseding indictment appeared Dec. 20, the grand jury added a stipulation for special findings against four co-defendants related to first and second-degree murder. According to information appearing on an Indiana law school website, murder committed in furtherance of a federal crime would likely factor into harsher sentencing upon conviction. Federal death penalties are given for more egregious crimes.
Drug trafficking, under some circumstances, is among them. Prosecutors with the U.S. Justice Department allege one of the goals of the enterprise was to use violence, force and intimidation to keep rivals in fear and to expand territory.
Authorities said one of the alleged killings took place at the Head Start center in Estate Whim.
In addition to four murders – with victims identified by the initials E.H., J.W., J.E. and T.A. – there were also four attempted murders on or about Nov. 26, 2015; Dec. 9, 2015; Feb 24, 2016 and March 12, 2016.
Some alleged efforts at eliminating rivals in the drug trade didn’t turn out as expected. The indictment lists an attempted carjacking on or about May 26, 2014, during which the intended victim discharged a weapon, killing a member of the enterprise identified by the initials, L.W.
By the time the grand jury delivered its fourth indictment in the case, defendants were accused of acting in concert with and in support of a criminal enterprise “who engaged in acts of violence, namely acts involving murder, robbery, carjacking, kidnaping and extortion as well as acts involving controlled substance distribution and money laundering in the District of the Virgin Islands and elsewhere within the jurisdiction of the courts.”
If convicted, defendants face possible sentences of life in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshal Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Virgin Islands Police Department, the Bureau of Corrections, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard and Crime Stoppers USVI.
