A Virgin Islands magistrate judge heard a slew of not-guilty pleas Thursday afternoon, one day after the high-profile arrests of 11 people on St. Croix in connection with an alleged Medicaid and SNAP scheme, which prosecutors say cost the territory more than three hundred thousand dollars.
Akim Davis, Carmen Saldana-Nunez, Karen Blyden, Shane Gaston and Sharon Olivia Henry face charges of Medicaid fraud, making fraudulent claims upon the government, and accessing a computer for fraudulent purposes. In addition to those three charges, Doenyka Lewis, Kenera Frederick, Lisa Minelli Montanez, Shanoya Hendrickson, Shantenysha Davis and Clarissa Nunez have been accused of embezzlement or falsification of public records.
Their appearances at the V.I. Superior Court on St. Croix came after images and video of their arrests — several of which took place at the Human Services Department in Frederiksted — circulated widely on social media. Prosecutors have said the charges stem from a 20-month investigation by the V.I. Justice Department’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit into DHS employees who allegedly used government computers to manipulate Medicaid and SNAP eligibility.
“While there are ongoing federal investigations into public corruption,” V.I. Attorney General Gordon Rhea said in a statement Wednesday, “it is important for the community to understand that the Government of the Virgin Islands is also actively and independently investigating corruption within its own systems.”
Rhea said law enforcement and agencies like the Justice Department’s Special Investigations Division, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, White Collar Crime and Public Corruption Unit, and the Inspector General’s Office work collaboratively “to identify, investigate, execute arrests and prosecute criminal conduct.”
“Today’s arrests are the result of that sustained partnership and commitment to accountability. No one is above the law, and when crimes are uncovered, we will act,” he stated. On Thursday, Rhea reaffirmed the department’s commitment to weeding out public corruption.
“At all levels that we find it, we’re gonna go after it,” he said. “No question.”
Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett issued a statement of her own Thursday and said the arrests highlighted territorial leaders’ responsibility to protect and strengthen social safety nets.
“We must ensure that programs designed to help our most needy residents function with integrity and remain accessible to those who depend on them,” she stated. “Ensuring that all Virgin Islanders have access to livable wages, resources to meet basic needs, and affordable healthcare are some of my goals as a leader and I am certain we all wish the same. I ask that our community allow the legal process to work.”
It was not immediately clear from Thursday’s proceedings whether prosecutors intend to try each of the defendants individually or as co-defendants.
“We don’t want to have 11 separate trials, your honor,” Assistant Attorney General Chad Mitchell said when asked by Magistrate Judge Yolan Brow-Ross.
Ten of the 11 defendants had already posted bail by the time of Thursday’s advice of rights hearing and arraignment and were granted pretrial release. The eleventh, Shane Gaston, posted bail Thursday. Brow-Ross ordered that they not visit the Medicaid office where several — Lewis, Hendrickson, Shantenysha Davis and Frederick — were employed until their suspensions this week. Clarissa Nunez and Montanez were also employed by DHS through its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Brow-Ross further enjoined the defendants from speaking to one another about the case or posting about it on social media.
Medicaid fraud and accessing a computer for fraudulent purposes each carry a maximum penalty of five years’ incarceration and a $5,000 fine. Making fraudulent claims upon the government is punishable by up to two years and a $500 fine. Embezzlement or falsification of public records carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
