Ronald Daren Rice, 54, a former resident of St. Croix and co-owner of a now-defunct construction company, has entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to launder money.
Rice was a principal in the Sola Caribe company, which promoted the construction of hurricane-resistant homes in the territory.
The charges against Rice stem from incidents in July 1992 when he and an unnamed co-conspirator applied to the federal Small Business Administration for a loan to purchase equipment for Sola Caribe, U. S. Attorney James Hurd said Monday.
The proposal listed the value of the machinery to be purchased from an Ohio company at $420,000, when the actual cost totaled $120,000.
The loan was approved for $495,000, based upon the inflated figures. Checks were made out to the Ohio machinery company.
To cash the checks, Rice and his co-conspirator opened a Las Vegas, Nev., checking account in the name of the Ohio machinery company. After doing so, Rice and his co-conspirator are alleged to have funneled the loan proceeds through a bogus account and ultimately used the money for purposes other than those specified by the SBA when the loan was approved.
Rice, who remains on bail pending sentencing, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years on the conspiracy charges and a fine of a half a million dollars or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater, Hurd said.
The SBA's Office of Inspector General led the 8-year-old investigation.

Frank Mills has been appointed as manager of the Virgin Islands 2000 Census of Population and Housing. The project locally coincides with the national census and seeks to count every person whose usual place of residence is the Virgin Islands according to the University of the Virgin Islands, which has been tasked with the census project on behalf of the Governor’s Office.
Mills, director of the V.I. Census Data Center the past twelve years, brings a wealth of experience to the census assignment having served as operations supervisor during the 1980 census and as project manager during the last census 10 years ago. Mills has also worked closely with the Federal Bureau of the Census in preparing the content of the questionnaire that will be used during the 2000 census in the territory.
"We cannot underscore the importance of generating a complete and accurate count of residents residing in the territory during this project," Mills said Monday, noting that the census is the only method by which the Virgin Islands can get an adequate level of federal funding for local programs and initiatives.
The primary challenge facing the census project manager is developing a formative strategy to include every household in the count. "Considerable energy will be placed on hiring hundreds of enumerators who would collect raw data in a timely way. These challenges should be lessened to a certain extent, however, given the fact that the census project in the year 2000 will be funded by at least four times the monies set aside for the last census project in 1990 or $4 million, according to Mills.
The Census Data Center director noted that plans are already underway
to the develop a public education campaign which will encourage assistance by the public and inform the community about the project’s importance.
"New approaches will be used in both informing the public about the census and the procedures used to collect data," Mills said. The methods by which the census will be conducted will be fully explained to the public before Census Day. The official start of the census count is expected in April of next year.

A homicide investigation by Virgin Islands Police continues into the death of a man who was struck Sunday night by a vehicle on the airport access road on St. Thomas.
Acting Police Chief Jose Garcia said Monday that 41-year-old Ryan Krog, a visitor to the island from Denmark, was struck and killed by a compact car driven by Vanessa Josaint at 7:36 p.m. Sunday.
Krog and his wife were crossing the two-lane access road from south to north when the vehicle struck him.
The driver of the vehicle also suffered injuries as the result of her jumping out of her vehicle after Krog was struck down.
Josaint was treated at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital for an abrasion to her right knee, a laceration to the arm and injury to her fingers.
Garcia said in a statement released at midday Monday that the Krogs were staying at a hotel in the area.
The accident occurred on the main road adjacent to the Island Beachcomber Hotel.
As of the time the press statement on the fatal automobile accident was issued, no charges had been filed.

I regret that I was unable to attend the very special occasion, of Legal Services of the Virgin Islands Inc. 30th anniversary, as they honored the founders, Judge Alphonso Christian, my father and Judge Almeric Christian, the father of the Delegate to Congress.
I was required to sit my re-certification aviation medical examination October 29-31, 1999 or lose my license. If it were not for such serious circumstances, I would have attended. But I would like to share with you my thoughts on this very memorable day.
One day I was struggling with the difficulty of being busy taking care of patients, working as an Assistant Commissioner, working as the medical director for the peer review organization for physicians, and taking leadership roles in many organizations. I was feeling the strain of being a working mother, committed to my children but questioning how well could I
take care of them with so many other responsibilities? Was I spending
quality time with my children? Should I just quit one of my jobs? I asked my Dad what should I do.
My Dad responded, "Children learn by example". He said nothing else. I completely understood for I then reflected on his success, along with my Mom, in raising all of his children.
In that simple statement, I caught a glimpse of the tremendous fortune I had for having been born with a father such as he. He taught us by his example.
Every single wrinkle that has seamed into his happy face vividly reminds me of a growth ring on a tree trunk, an annual ring of faith, which developed out of his courageous fight of taking lack of opportunity and creating opportunity, of taking envy and creating harmony, of taking criticism and keeping fairness — his modus operandi.
Every individual experience, amid his many activities over four score and ten plus, bears profound significance for me, for each of his experiences was as either the internal or external cause to build character.
Every accomplishment was not used as a form made of ostentatious vanity, but a manifestation of intensified spiritual force in the depths of his life. He used every experience to build a sterling character, outstanding in human relation in his community, in his place of work, in his church, but most significantly in his family-his children.
He used every opportunity through effort and hard work, while challenging the status quo, to improve himself and all whose lives he touched.
The current of the times shows that this is an era of "actual proof." The
wisdom of his statement to me that children learn by example shows actual proof in the accomplishments and lives of those who saw his example each and every day, his children.
On behalf of all of the children of Judge Alphonso A. Christian, we would like to thank you for treasuring and honoring the life of one of the greatest examples of what each and every one of us strives to achieve as a parent, the life of our dad.
I would also like to take this opportunity on behalf of my family to congratulate the family of Judge Almeric Christian. Many of you know Judge Almeric Christian for his intellect. But our family had a very special relationship with the Judge.
He was a deeply religious man. He and my mother sat together in church Sunday after Sunday. He and my father, both being judges, both from St. Croix, both living on Solberg, and both having daughters that are physicians—family physicians that trained together at the same institution and worked together in the same Department of Health and both being founders of your organization—share a close and binding relationship.
In fact, Judge Almeric would often joke that I was his daughter if whatever I did was positive. His wit was equal to his intellect. He and his wife Shirley would attend all of our family gatherings as if we were one family. It is no wonder that many people have thought that we are related. And, in many ways, the relationship our family and his have is as close as family.
We also thank you for bringing two great men, two great judges, two great fathers together tonight as you honor Judge Alphonso and posthumously, Judge Almeric Christian.
Editors' note: Dr. Cora Christian is a board certified practicing family physician. Christian is credited with the development of the Frederiksted Health Center, both its renovation from the old hospital into a functioning health center — only one of her many achievements in public health. After many years in public service she is now medical director of Hess Oil Virgin Islands Corporation, now HOVENSA

St. Croix bicycle racers took on a stiff headwind during Sunday’s 24-mile Airport Loop road race.
The course was a 6.1 mile, four-lap loop that started at the Randall "Doc" James Race Track east to Melvin Evans Highway then left to West Airport Road and back to the start.
Thirteen racers started the event at a moderate pace with a variety of riders taking their turn at the front. The main field kept together for the first and the beginning of the second lap until a fierce attack by John Harper split the pack.
The break was unsuccessful, however, and a number of riders caught Harper's wheel. The field then broke up on the windward stretch of the second lap with a small group comprising Harper, Angel Encarncion and Kent Bradbury pulling away from the main field. Jamie Keys, after going back to pick up a dropped pump, fought his way back to
the leaders and the group of four worked together for the final lap with the rest of the field strung out behind.
About 300 yards from the finish Kent Bradbury launched a sprint attack that was quickly caught by Keys. But it was Angel Encarncion who had more legs and was able to out sprint the other three for the victory.
Harper and Keys finished so close that it had to be called a draw and Bradbury finished a close fourth.
The St. Croix cycling Federation’s next race will be Sunday Nov. 2. The course will
utilize the new and improved South Shore road, said federation president Mike McQueston. For info call 772.2343. Group rides are held Fridays at 4p.m. at Schooner Bay and Tuesdays on the West End.

Senior officials at the Department of Interior have voiced concerns about Beal Aerospace’s proposal to build a rocket assembly plant on the shores of St. Croix’s Great Pond Bay.
At a meeting between St. Croix residents and Department of Interior officials Sunday night, Donald Barry, assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, said the conflict between Beal’s plans and the environmental concerns at Great Pond had become apparent to him after visiting the site.
"It was important for me to walk along the beach (Saturday) . . . to see what’s at stake there," Barry said. "After having been on the site, I’m very concerned about the project…"
Barry, who oversees the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, works directly under Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who will be on St. Croix the next three days for the third annual Coral Reef Task Force Conference.
Just offshore of Beal’s proposed site is what one Fish and Wildlife Service official has called "the best example of coral reefs in the USVI."
Sunday’s meeting was requested by organizers of the People’s March. The group was organized to protest the Beal-V.I. government land exchange at Great Pond Bay and to voice concerns about various governmental issues.
Along with the Beal issue, Sunday’s meeting focused on the memorandum of understanding signed early in October by Gov. Charles Turnbull and Secretary Babbitt. Along with economic provisions aimed at helping the territory solve its $100 billion debt, the memorandum contains a section on enhancing the islands’ natural resources.
Considering the memorandum’s call to preserve the territory’s coral reef system, People’s March spokesman Raymond "Usie" Richards said it was important for Interior officials to understand the governor’s "hypocritical policies" concerning the Beal deal.
Richards pointed to a letter written in January to Beal by a FWS field supervisor that recommended the project be moved to an area near St. Croix’s industrial zone. The letter, Richards said, was also sent to Turnbull.
"While we recognize the efforts of the Fish and Wildlife Service to make clear their concerns to Andrew Beal, we also recognize that Governor Turnbull was made aware of these concerns…," Richards said. "We believe such action demonstrates Turnbull’s disregard for both the Virgin Islands and United States laws, while he acts wantonly to pursue the goals of big business."
While Barry noted that there is a permitting process for projects such as Beal’s, he said he was "skeptical" about its chances of gaining approval at a site like Great Pond because of Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act issues.
Barry called it the "right project in the wrong place" and said an alternative site could be found closer to the island’s industrialized area.
"We need to redouble our effort to work with Beal to find a better place," he said.
Karen Kovacs, senior counsel for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, said that language in the memorandum that speaks about the local and federal government exchanging submerged lands and coral reefs is preliminary. Kovacs also voiced concern about the Beal project, saying there is the possibility for "serious environmental degradation."
Meanwhile, Danny Aranza, director of the Office of Insular Affairs, said the memorandum was meant as a "helping hand" to the V.I. government. Aranza said that because he is from Guam, another U.S. territory, he understands the concerns of the people in the Virgin Islands.
"In no way was the MOU intended to be a dictate to the Virgin Islands," he said.

In the rift between Gov. Charles Turnbull and his former choice for Tourism commissioner, "the straw that broke the camel’s back is the bond issue," as Michael Bornn sees it.
Turnbull’s announcement last week that he was withdrawing Bornn’s nomination has led to public displays of support for Bornn, although many longtime political observers say the action was not surprising, because Bornn was not supporting administration initiatives.
Over the weekend, St. Thomas Source requested interviews with both men.
So far, only Bornn has responded. Speaking Saturday, he reiterated his opposition to the government taking on long-term debt for operating expenses, an opposition he had stated publicly in a "manifesto" for economic recovery that was published on St. Thomas Source shortly before Turnbull nominated him for the Tourism post.
Bornn denied "lobbying" senators against the recently passed authorization for a bond issue of up to $300 million. But he said that "senators asked me my opinion, and I gave it." He declined to say which legislators, stating only that there were "two or three."
"I’m not going to give up my principles for a job," he said. "It (selling bonds to cover operating expenses) is too big of an issue for me to say I’m going to be a team player" and not speak out.
On other possible points of disagreement with the governor, Bornn was less forthcoming.
"The Department of Tourism has an army of political appointments," he said. But, asked to name those he had recommended for firing, Bornn said, "I won’t touch that one."
He noted that, as reported in The Source in August, he had scuttled a pending contract for Dahlia Magras, the wife of Clement "Cain" Magras, Turnbull’s first nominee for commissioner. Cain Magras' name was withdrawn in the wake of sexual harassment charges brought against him by a longtime Tourism employee that are still pending.
The $200,000 contract, at $50,000 a year for four years, was for Magras’ wife "for, quote, 'marketing the Virgin Islands in Florida' – where we already have a tourism office," Bornn said. "It was left on my desk for signature. I didn’t sign it – threw it away. That was one of the first things I did."
He added that he did not know whether the governor had agreed to the contract, or if it was just the Magrases’ idea. "The governor never talked to me about it," he said.
A neophyte in government and politics, Bornn said some "career politicians" have told him he was wrong not to build support. Instead, "I ruffled an awful lot of feathers up at Government House."
Did his enemies influence the governor against him?
"I’m not going to get into petty nonsense," he said.
As for party affiliation, Bornn said "technically I’m a Republican. He’s a Democrat," but added that this should make no difference in his ability to serve.
He denied reports that he had been bragging about his party affiliation at a recent tourism conference in Florida, although he said the subject came up briefly in one private conversation.
Although his title was to be Tourism commissioner – and he was serving in that post in an acting capacity – Bornn said it was his belief that Turnbull was going to tap his expertise in economic development. However, the governor relies almost exclusively on Rudolph Krigger Sr. for financial advice.
"I had very little interaction with the governor, period. I think that was one of the problems," Bornn said.
Was he surprised at the outpouring of public support for him?
"Yes and no," he said. "I think the majority of people are tired of politics as usual."
The bottom line, Bornn said, is "he had the right to fire me and he fired me."
Is he sorry to go?
"My job was to turn around the economy, and that’s what I was focusing on. . . In six months I could have had some serious impact."
If the governor were to reconsider, would Bornn?
His response: "I’m not even going there."

On Sunday at 2:14 p.m. St. Thomas welcomed the newest airline to service the island, the world's largest, United Airlines.
There to welcome the plane load of travel and tourism professionals were Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, Lt. Gov. Gerard "Luz" James II acting Tourism Commissioner Monique Sibilly-Hodge, Alexandra Villoch, United's general manager for Miami and the Caribbean and Janise M. Robinson, operations manger for United Airlines.
After two years of negotiations the airline decided in April to bring four flights a week into St. Thomas, two from Chicago's O'Hare Airport and two from Washington's Dulles Airport. The flights will come in on weekends.
Andrew HeLal, managing director of Frenchman's Reef told St. Thomas Source last month he expects the additional seats to help the island, but that it's not like "turning on a tap." He expects the results to begin to show by springtime.
The Boeing 757s can carry 188 passengers, accord to the Daily News.

George Blackhall and Neil Weiss, in the form of their real estate development company B&W Inc, have purchased Nisky Center.
The 124,000 square foot shopping center has been managed by Blackhall for the last three years.
Weiss called their purchase, "A sign that not everybody is negative about the future of the Virgin Islands."
The General Motors Acceptance Corporation financed $12 million of the purchase. Weiss said this may be the first major loan by GMAC for real estate in the V.I.
"GMAC exercised extreme due diligence before giving this loan, even having us do a $ 6,500 seismic study of the property due to St. Thomas being a Zone 4 earthquake area", said Weiss. "They looked at this very closely, and by giving the loan, are showing their belief in the future of St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands."
The property is presently 65 percent occupied and Weiss hoped to fill the rest of the open spaces in the next few months.
Weiss said,"This gives us room to increase the present income, which is what every business owner wants to do."
The shopping center was heavily damaged in Hurricane Marilyn, which resulted in receivership for the center. It was purchased from Barclay's Bank by TNT, a Dallas firm.

Three St. Thomas men are in police custody following a shootout in Savan on Sunday morning.
Well-placed police sources say the mid-morning incident followed days of police reports filed by one of the suspects that another man had robbed him and that he would seek retaliation.
A female bystander was shot during the fracas, which erupted near the Red Ball Grocery. Melissa Hodge of Pile Strade was taken to Roy L. Schneider Hospital where she was treated for bullet fragments in her right elbow and the back of her right thigh and released.
A parked vehicle was also struck, shattering its front and rear windshield.
Curtis Grosvenor, 31, of Bovoni #25-2, Shawn Williams, 19, of 4-F Mandahl and Ricaldo Claxton, 24, of Guyllings Street, Savan, were arrested and charged with possession of unlicenced firearms, illegal discharge of firearms, third-degree assault, reckless endangerment and damage to a vehicle, according to a release from Police Chief Jose Garcia.
All three suspects are being held on $25,000 bail.
One of the suspects was taken into custody near the Jane E. Tuitt School where he ran after the shootout. The other suspects were arrested near the scene.
Confiscated in the incident were a .357-caliber silver Magnum, a .44-caliber revolver and a .22-caliber long rifle.
One person who spoke on condition of anonymity said that from the Upper Solberg area, rampant automatic gunfire broke through the silence of the morning.
Garcia attributed the quick apprehension of the suspects to the courage and quick action of residents of Savan who, he said, "have decided to take a no-nonsense attitude toward solving violent crime in their neighborhood."
Garcia commended Sgt. Alva Chesterfield and the squad from the Richard Callwood Command for their quick and professional response.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact detectives at the VIPD Investigation Bureau at 774-4050 or emergency 911.