M. Lyn stands in front of several pieces of her original art at an art show hosted at CMCA in St. Croix. (Photo courtesy M. Lyn Arts)
M. Lyn Arts will host her first 2026 Art Show on Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, from 6-10 p.m. at Mystic Brew in Tillet Gardens. The Mother’s Day weekend event will feature original artwork on display for sale, with food and drinks available from Mystic Brew and Rock City Tacos.
Following a successful previous show, this year’s exhibition introduces significant changes to the artist’s body of work. Returning visitors will find a noticeably evolved exhibition. According to M. Lyn, each show is an opportunity to take creative work to the next level. For this year’s event, the artist has focused on new techniques, explored different color palettes, and recreated several past pieces that resonated with the community. The most concrete change is scale. “I have doubled down to produce double the work,” said M.Lyn.
A past piece that represents an earlier stage of the artist’s growth is the painting “Irma-Ria,” created during recovery after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the region. The 2026 show includes multiple new storm-themed pieces, but the approach has shifted significantly. Rather than sticking to literal reality, the artist now personifies storms and translates their intensity into human emotions. “Instead of just painting the storm as it looks in reality, I’m working to convey the feeling and the power of the storm,” said M.Lyn.
M. Lyn credits the local community and business partners for their strong support. The artist’s requirements are simple: just walls to hang work on and amenities for collectors and patrons. “If everyone has fun, I’m happy. At the end of the day, I’m just grateful that together we can make this happen,” says M.Lyn.
The local community has shaped M. Lyn’s work in numerous ways. The artist observes the faces and natures of people, noting that Caribbean culture is exceptionally strong, resilient, and vibrant. Gratitude for witnessing that strength and beauty is a recurring theme. However, the artist’s influences are not limited to the Virgin Islands. M. Lyn considers the entire world as community, observing that the planet is quite small in comparison to the universe. Inspiration comes from cultures across the globe.
M. Lyn hopes viewers walk away with a sense of recognition and comfort. “I hope people can find light in the darkness and color in the gloom. Whether representing strength or pain, the goal is for people to feel seen and understood. I just want people to know they aren’t alone,” said M.Lyn.
A pastor accused of fondling a girl from his church has asked the District Court to drop seven charges because prosecutors have missed a legal deadline. (Shutterstock image)
An accused St. Thomas pastor asked a federal judge Wednesday to throw out sex-crime charges because prosecutors failed to file indictment papers on time.
Prosecutors claimed the man had fondled a child from his church after drawing her to secluded places. They brought seven charges against Lawrence Turnbull, 63, on March 6, according to court records.
Turnbull pleaded not guilty and U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Alan Teague set a June 1 trial date.
Federal judicial rules and the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 require federal prosecutors to present a formal indictment within 30 days of first filing charges against someone. Wednesday, 55 days after prosecutors made their accusations, Turnbull’s attorneys asked the court to dismiss the case: No indictment had been filed.
“The unjustifiable delay in indicting Turnbull has caused him actual prejudice and violated his due process rights as guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. For all these reasons, Turnbull prays the court grant his motion,” Turnbull’s attorneys wrote.
The attorneys asked Judge Teague to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could file new charges for the same alleged crimes if they wanted.
Prosecutors wrote to the court with a different timeline, saying the speedy-trial clock started April 1, not March 6. They asked the entirety of the timeline be delayed, and the June 1 trial be postponed, while the lead government prosecutor underwent medical treatment on the mainland.
Turnbull’s attorneys did not oppose the motion, according to court records, and asked Teague for their own 21-day delay, if the case were to proceed, because prosecutors had just delivered electronic data that needed to be parsed for potential exculpatory evidence.
As of Wednesday evening, the District Court website had not posted any rulings from Teague on the motion to dismiss or for the 21-day delay.
The Denis Sullivan, a schooner, sails across blue ocean during one of its many sails. (Photo courtesy World Ocean School)
The World Ocean School, a nonprofit educational organization operating the tall ship Denis Sullivan, invites Virgin Islands students to its Summer Ambassador Program.
Based in Boston and St. Croix, the program offers middle and high school students immersive, multiday sailing experiences designed to develop leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills outside a traditional classroom setting.
The Summer Ambassador Program places small groups of students aboard the Denis Sullivan, a 137-foot schooner, where they take on active roles in sailing the vessel. Rather than passive observation, participants are expected to handle lines, navigate, stand watch, and collaborate on daily operations. The curriculum emphasizes peer collaboration, real-time problem solving, rotating leadership opportunities, and trust-building exercises. The program intentionally recruits students from diverse races, genders, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds, a design feature participants cite as central to its impact.
Carmen Bird, a teacher at Alfredo Andrews Elementary School, a public school on St. Croix, has observed the program’s effects on her students over multiple cohorts. “I watched students who rarely interacted with one another in a classroom learn to walk side by side, communicate, and rely on each other in ways that felt completely new. Some of my quietest students stepped into leadership, while others discovered strengths they didn’t know they had. Being out on the water pushed them to collaborate, problem-solve, and trust themselves and each other,” said Bird.
A student aboard the Denis Sullivan. (Photo courtesy World Ocean School)
Avery Adams, a St. Croix student who participated in the Summer Ambassador Program in 2023 and again in 2025, asserts that this program shapes the entire child. “The Summer Ambassador Program is like no summer program I have ever experienced. From the moment I stepped onto the Denis Sullivan, I knew that that was where I belonged. I had never felt more loved, supported, and welcomed more by a group of people I had just met. By the end of the program, I was sobbing, because it felt like I was leaving family,” said Adams.
For some participants, the program alters long-term career trajectories. Sophia Adsit-Gerlica, who completed the Advanced Ambassador Program in 2025 and the Winter Ambassador Program in the same year, experienced a complete reversal of her prior attitude toward maritime activities. “I used to be incredibly nervous when it came to anything water or boat-related, but at the World Ocean School, my perspective almost completely changed. Now I hope for a career in the sailing field,” said Adsit-Gerlica.
This summer’s program is open to eighth- to 12th-grade students and will take place between Aug. 3 and 10. Participants will be sailing out of Boston, Massachusetts. Scholarship opportunities are available for USVI students and the program application deadline is June 1. Students interested in participating can complete the application found at this link.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of approximately $80 million through the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program Wednesday, of which $406,000 will go toward stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs in the territory.
The agency will provide funding from both fiscal years 2025 and 2026 totaling $406,000 to U.S. Virgin Islands. (Photo courtesy Kynoch Reale-Munroe and HWG)
The agency will provide funding from both fiscal years 2025 and 2026 totaling $406,000 to U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Stormwater and sewage systems are critical for managing pollution to keep our nation’s waterways clean and support healthy people, economic growth, and thriving ecosystems,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer. “This $80 million investment will help states upgrade stormwater management systems to address the threat of aging and inadequate infrastructure.”
“If left unchecked and uncontrolled, discharges pollute the environment and may threaten clean water. This funding helps U.S. Virgin Islands communities upgrade their stormwater and sewage treatment systems, improving the environment and protecting human health,” said Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “Under President Trump, EPA is at work to deliver clean water to all Americans.”
Stormwater can be a significant source of water pollution and a public health concern. It can collect various pollutants, including trash, chemicals, oils, and dirt/sediment, and convey them to nearby waterways. When mixed with domestic and industrial wastewater in combined sewers, stormwater can also contribute to combined sewer overflows during heavy storm events.
Safely and effectively managing stormwater to reduce pollution before it reaches local waterways is essential. However, the cost to construct, operate, and maintain stormwater infrastructure can be significant, which can strain wastewater systems and their customers, especially in small and financially distressed communities. The agency’s Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program will prioritize projects for small and/or financially distressed communities. Under the existing regulations, state grantees are not required to contribute cost shares for projects located in small and/or financially distressed communities.
Power outages have been commonplace in the U.S. Virgin Islands dating back to the 1960s and beyond. Millions of dollars have been poured into the Water and Power Authority (WAPA) to keep the lights on, but the system continues to operate on life support.
Shirley L. Smith
In fairness, the autonomous government agency, created in 1964, inherited a beleaguered, antiquated water and power system from the federal government. However, public records show that WAPA has exacerbated the utility’s financial and physical condition by accumulating massive debts and deferring maintenance of critical infrastructure. WAPA also has a history of mismanagement by seemingly well-intended, but misguided, or ill-equipped executives who often operated under a cloak of secrecy.
The Virgin Islands Government, WAPA’s largest customer, has contributed to its financial woes. Several government agencies repeatedly failed to pay their huge utility bills, but they too are holding on for dear life, including the territory’s two hospitals. As a result, the governor and Legislature have been forced to not only bail out the hospitals and other agencies to save WAPA but also bail out WAPA time and time again. It is a vicious cycle because the more the government spends to subsidize WAPA, the less money it has to maintain quality health care and other essential services.
All of this begs the question, how long do WAPA and the government expect residents to bear the mental, physical and financial cost of a poorly maintained, dilapidated monopoly that has failed them for generations and squandered taxpayers’ money through mismanagement and bad contracts without accountability?
At a recent contentious town hall meeting on St. John, following a three-day, island-wide blackout in March, frustrated residents expressed concern about the persistent power outages and empty promises from WAPA. Even though WAPA’s Executive Director Karl Knight explained that this outage was caused by the intentional cutting of a high-voltage transmission line rather than equipment failure, this was of little comfort to residents who were outraged by WAPA’s lack of security.
Several residents told Knight they are “exhausted,” because the solutions he presented to create a more resilient electrical system are the same “solutions” they have heard for years. This sentiment is echoed by Virgin Islanders across the territory who have lost food, medication, appliances, and income due to lengthy power outages, and whose livelihoods and the lives of their children have been upended by the closure of schools and businesses.
Residents’ angst is compounded by above-average utility bills and gas prices that predate the Israel and U.S.-led war in Iran but have surged even higher since the war began. Virgin Islanders are also saddled with extremely high food and housing costs. The looming threat of hurricanes is also unnerving, as WAPA appears to be teetering on the brink of collapse ahead of hurricane season, which begins in June.
Some residents are still reeling from the devastation of hurricanes Irma and Maria, which struck the territory in 2017, damaging thousands of homes and critical infrastructure, including WAPA’s fragile water and power system, and leaving residents in the dark for three to five months. People who rely on the public water system have the added stress of frequent water outages.
According to a 2025 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, WAPA’s electricity rate is “almost three times higher than the U.S. national average.” Yet, WAPA officials act like they are doing residents a favor by not raising their rate when residents cannot get reliable service, and many complain about being overcharged due to estimated billing.
Despite residents’ pleas for compensation for the financial losses they have suffered, Knight has said it is not possible because WAPA’s operational expenses exceed its revenues. EY-Parthenon, a consulting firm commissioned by the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority to do an assessment of WAPA’s operations, revealed in its initial assessment, dated Jan. 29, 2025, that “WAPA may be operating in the zone of insolvency,” and “its liquidity appears to be insufficient to pay its obligations as they become due without government funding support.”
It is time for WAPA officials to reimagine the way they engage with the community, particularly the territory’s growing elderly population, the disabled, and Black and Hispanic communities who have higher poverty rates and bear the brunt of ongoing power outages. They do not have the resources to purchase a generator or install solar panels, or to immediately replace spoiled food and medication, and some depend on electricity to operate at-home medical devices, so they are at the mercy of WAPA.
Power and water outages are not just an economic issue. Outages are a public health and safety issue, which Kyle Fleming, the director of the Virgin Islands Energy Office, not only acknowledged on April 20 at a news conference, but also provided a plan to help 900 “medically vulnerable” residents during power outages. Fleming said his office is working with the Department of Human Services to identify these individuals and distribute portable battery systems to them, which they can use to power medical devices, refrigerators and other equipment.
This pilot project will cost about $1.6 million in federal funds, and it will allow the government to gather the data needed to apply for additional federal funds to expand and continue the program, Michael Jaffurs, the Energy Office’s deputy director, said Monday.
This is a commendable — albeit long overdue — initiative that exemplifies what is possible when agencies partner to develop creative solutions for the public good. Research shows poor living conditions can lead to poor health outcomes, health disparities and premature deaths.
Instead of burying their heads in the sand, WAPA needs to follow suit by establishing a public-private partnership to develop a sustainable emergency response plan to alleviate and prevent the mental, physical, and financial anguish caused by decades-long power and water outages.
The plan should include a team of health care professionals, and representatives from the Departments of Health and Human Services, VITEMA, nonprofit organizations, and businesses that benefit from tax breaks.
WAPA should also reach out to members of the clergy for assistance. The late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.said:“Any religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them, is a spiritually moribund religion in need of new blood.”
If such a team were in place and mobilized during the blackout on St. John and the lengthy rotating power outages on St. Thomas, WAPA could have sent out nurses to do welfare checks and assist people in need of medication or medical care. Human Services and churches could have provided hot meals and bottled water, and VITEMA could have partnered with local businesses to establish a cooling station equipped with compact portable battery power stations where people could cool off, heat up food, or recharge cell phones and other equipment.
This is what I envision, and it is doable. All it takes is the political will, a thoughtful, coordinated emergency response plan, and a team of emergency responders who are willing to volunteer or provide in-kind services.
WAPA executives also need to stop hiding behind press releases and be more accessible to the public and journalists to avoid misinformation by holding more town hall meetings and regular news conferences that allow the media to attend in person, virtually, and via audio conferencing. Although WAPA provides updates of outages via email and text, this is not an effective means of communication in a crisis when the internet is down. Also, people who are more likely to suffer from outages may not have access to the internet. Even if they do, they may not know how to navigate it.
Knight promised to bring in a new era of transparency and “rebuild trust.” However, it is still difficult to obtain public records from WAPA. I submitted a Public Records Request to WAPA, under the V.I. Public Records statute, on May 13, 2024. To date, I have not received the bulk of the records I requested. The lack of transparency by WAPA and other government agencies, namely the Departments of Health, Planning and Natural Resources, Licensing and Consumer Affairs, and the Police Department, only fuels widespread distrust.
Furthermore, impeding journalists’ ability to gather, verify, and report the news is a disservice to the public, not to mention, a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
At a minimum, senators should require public officials to testify under oath when they appear before the Legislature, which they have the authority to do under the Virgin Islands Code, 2 V.I.C. § 4. This way, officials can be penalized for making false statements. The Legislature should also revamp the territory’s archaic public records laws to increase transparency by imposing stiffer penalties for noncompliance and holding officials personally liable for withholding public records.
Since the hurricanes, the federal government has allocated unprecedented funds to strengthen WAPA’s infrastructure and replace two generation units in the St. Thomas-St. John plant. Federal funds have also been allocated to replace St. Croix’s power plant and the V.I.’s entire water distribution system, but these two projects will take years to complete. Meanwhile, residents’ health will continue to be compromised.
WAPA officials can and must do more to address the human toll of outages. They cannot carry on as is and expect weary residents to hang on to what many fear is a sinking ship, to their detriment, without adequate life preservers.
— Shirley L. Smith, a native of St. Thomas, is an independent investigative journalist focused on social justice issues.
Elan Insurance Group becomes the first health plan validated by the Validation Institute, demonstrating immediate claims cost reduction and sustained performance below medical trend.
For years, employers have been promised healthcare savings, yet costs have continued to rise. A new validation may signal a meaningful shift in how those promises are measured and delivered.
Elan Insurance Group today announced it has become the first health plan to be validated by the Validation Institute, confirming measurable reductions in claims costs in the first year and sustained performance below industry medical trend over time.
Unlike traditional models that rely on fragmented vendors and retrospective savings narratives, Elan’s fully integrated plan design brings together aligned incentives, clinically guided care, and independently validated partners within a single accountable platform.
This approach was evaluated across the plan’s full member population, rather than a subset, removing common distortions that often influence reported results, including regression to the mean, inflated trend comparisons, and participation bias. The outcome is a clear, measurable decline in claims costs in year one, followed by continuedperformance below expected industry trends.
At the core of the model is a tightly integrated structure built with independently validated partners, including Ault International Medical Management for clinical care navigation, US Rx Care for pharmacy cost transparency and optimization, and Employers Health Network for a high-performance provider network. These components operate under a unified framework with aligned incentives and are supported by A+-rated reinsurance, replacing the traditional fragmented ecosystem with a single, accountable solution.
For employers, this translates into a model designed to deliver lower costs from the outset rather than over multiple years, along with more predictable financial performance and reduced out-of-pocket expenses for employees, often including zero-dollar copays for many services. It also removes much of the uncertainty associated with year-end surplus outcomes that typically accompany conventional plan structures.
“Too many organizations claim savings without proving it,” said Al Lewis, Founder and Validator-in-Chief of the Validation Institute. “Because we back each validation with a $100,000 guarantee, it’s rare we confirm real first-year cost reductions. Elan showed true savings across an entire population using methods that avoid the usual biases. That kind of transparency and accountability is what the market has been missing.”
“Employers don’t need more complexity—they need results they can trust,” said Omar Andres Haedo, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Elan Insurance Group. “This validation reinforces that measurable, sustainable cost reduction is possible when the system is designed differently.”
ABOUT ELAN
Elan Insurance Group provides a fully integrated, level-funded health plan platform for small and mid-sized employers, focused on delivering measurable cost reductions, improved health outcomes, and simplified administration.
For more information, email omar.a.haedo@elan.insure or visit https://validationinstitute.com/validated-provider/elan-insurance/
Vincent E. Kelly, Sr. departed this earthly life on Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Miami, Florida, at the age of 89.
Vincent E. Kelly Sr.
He was born on the island of St. Kitts but resided in Estate Diamond Ruby, St. Croix, for the majority of his life. A protective, devoted family man and friend, Kelly will be dearly missed for his gregarious personality. He was known for his exemplary work in the construction industry, spearheading residential, commercial, and governmental project management.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Rubena Kelly and Ethelbert Belle; wife, Estelle E. Gaskin Kelly; son, Terrence Kelly; sisters, Agatha Richardson Kelly and Sylvia Meade Kelly; and brothers, Ivan and Franklin Belle.
He is survived by his children: Janiese Kelly, Yvette Kelly-Aniagolu, Sonia Kelly-Williams, Grace Baptiste, Diana Kelly, Lauren Kelly, and Vincent E. Kelly, Jr.
Son-in-law: Clive E. Williams
Grandchildren: Shaundra Mercado, Elisa Mercado, Ebone’ Carrington-Ward, Norwilton Murray, Jr., Asari Aniagolu, Nkiruka Okeke-Ojiudu, Alexis Milligan-James, Kyan Kelly, Zahrah Williams, Michael Fraser, Jr., Milissa Fraser-Jacobs, Michelle Kelly, and Isaiah Kelly
Sisters-in-law: Ernestine Gaskin, Percis Gaskin, Carmen Elcock, Alex Patricia Bloyce, Lyantine Belle, and Lenor LaBassiere
Brothers-in-law: Leroy “Sonny” Gaskin, Karl “DJ Karl” Gaskin, Sr., Kendell Gaskin, Calvin Gaskin, Ralph Gaskin, and Juslin Gaskin, Jr.
Nieces: Georgina Elsie Bradshaw, Cynthia Richardson, Angela Agnew, Avril Kelly-Belle, Sandra Boyd, Cheryl Belle, and Sandra Belle-Soto
Nephews: Ernest Richardson, Valentine Kelly, Calvin Belle, Kenneth Belle, Sr., Ray Belle, David Barry, Sr., and Cleo Browne
He is also survived by many cherished family members and friends too numerous to name.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held, Saturday, May 9, 9:30 a.m. at Faith Moravian Church, 302-B Barron Spot, Christiansted, St Croix. Entombment at the Kingshill Cemetery. Flowers/Wreaths: James Memorial Funeral Home, Inc. 340-718-8663. Memorial colors: Shades of blue.
Thecla Altemis, a.k.a. “Virgil,” of Mutual Homes transitioned into eternal life on April 8, 2026. She was 80 years old.
Thecla Altemis
She was preceded in death by her parents, Bella Altemis and Henry Rosemond.
She is survived by her companion, Edwin Poleon; Daughters, Jacinta A. Gussie, Jackline J. Romain and Pacline Ranches; Son, Vernon Jackman; Grandchildren, Jahidi and Jahmoya Gussie, Thema Liverpool, Alston “Mashup” Lake, Tishawn , Diquan, Tariq and Keshara Romain, Ishmael Jackman, Kwanna Clad, Marissa Ranches, Natsha Nicholas-Jackman; Great Grandchildren, Jah’Makye Liverpool, Sha’Myrah and Sha’Mayrah Elmes, K’Lanie and Kaylee Auguste, Jahidi Jr. and Ja’Dayah Gussie, Ryleigh Lake; Sister, Olympia Valmont; Brother, Augustin Dantes; Nieces, Lena Valmont, Marissa Estes, Thecla Dantes, Paula Valmont, Natalie Valmont, Thessa Dantes, Madeliene Mitchell, Marcella Dantes, Marcia Dantes, Pauline Edwards, Paulina David; Nephews, Alexis Valmont, Tim Valmont, Barney Dantes, Ferdinand Dantes, Jonathan Dantes, Augustin Dantes Jr., Edmond Dantes, Rudolph Reuben; Daughter-In-Law, Debra Jackman; Son-In-Law, Darille Gussie; Special Friends, Vita Samuel, Cordella Elvin, Lucretia Christine Vigier, Yvonne Tompkins, Ernest and Shearan Felix, Milded “Glory” Edgar, Joycelyn Lionel, Doreen, Shamonica Anthony, Sophia Arthur, Valentine “Valor” Peters, Samantha Charley, Kathy, Roy, Janet, Celia, Chris, Cynthia, Esther, Angela, Dr. Robin, Lucy, Ms. Mary, Posey Smith, Paulette, Sylvia Clovis, Sony, Tanya Barnett, Vivian, Sandy Poleon, Popaire Irie, Vern. Other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
A viewing will be held on Thursday, April 7, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at James Memorial Funeral Chapel.
Funeral service will be held on Friday, May 8 at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Viewing will begin at 9am with service at 10am. Interment will follow at Kingshill Cemetery.
Professional arrangements are entrusted to James Memorial Funeral Home, Inc.
In a special announcement Tuesday, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said the government has reached an agreement with Southland Gaming to rebuild and operate the long dormant Randall “Doc” James Race Track on St. Croix.
“This is a big deal. It is $25 million of private money and investment to rebuild the facility and restart racing on St. Croix,” he said. “That means resurfacing the track. It means rebuilding the grandstand. It means building the barns and the paddock facilities. It means putting the pieces into place to support a certified horse racing operation with the safety standards and professional standards that the sport requires.”
The agreement, which Bryan is sending to the 36th Legislature for consideration and approval, comes more than a year after the Virgin Islands Government wrested legal control of the race track from developer VIGL. Bryan said the agreement includes deadlines for track resurfacing and barn renovation within eight months and substantial project completion within the next three years.
“And if it can be done safely and responsibly, it calls for at least one race day before Dec. 30, 2026,” Bryan said, adding that Virgin Islanders have already seen “the proof in the pudding” through Southland’s operation of the Clinton E. Phipps Race Track on St. Thomas. “This is a real plan and a real way forward, and for the taxpayers out there — all of you in the Virgin Islands — this agreement does not require any additional public money. Not one cent.”
Horse racing returned to the territory in time for the 2024 St. Thomas Carnival, but several race days were marred by horse injuries and euthanizations. The Clinton E. Phipps Race Track temporarily closed last year amid a St. Thomas-St. John Horse Racing Commission investigation into track conditions after three horses had to be put down following a race in December 2024. Prior to the track’s reopening, lawmakers in the 35th Legislature suspended the territory’s anti-doping regulations, and a subsequent attempt to repeal the suspension failed.
Bryan said Tuesday that anti-doping provisions are “absolutely” included in the government’s agreement with Southland.
“As a matter of fact, we want to make sure that as soon as there’s an opportunity for there to have horse racing, that all of those things are immediately put back in place,” he said.
Brett “Mac” McClafferty, the St. Thomas businessman free on bail as he faces bank fraud charges, was granted permission by a Superior Court judge to travel to the mainland after filing an emergency motion earlier this week seeking to assist a family member recovering from surgery.
While the details of that motion and four exhibits filed on the docket in support of it are not available for public view, when contacted Monday night, McClafferty told the Source he is needed stateside to help his cousin recover from surgery.
“The motion is clear. My cousin and best friend is having anywhere from eighteen inches to six feet of his intestines removed, and someone is gonna have to wipe his ass after his mother returns to Arizona for her own medical appointments,” McClafferty said via text. “No further comment, thanks for reaching out.”
Judge Denise M. Francois granted the motion in an order issued April 27, allowing McClafferty to travel from St. Thomas to San Francisco from May 4 through May 10 under specific conditions, including providing his itinerary to probation and maintaining contact while off-island. The order notes that the purpose of pretrial release conditions is to ensure a defendant’s appearance in court — not to serve as punishment — and found the requested travel consistent with those standards.
The emergency travel motion comes two weeks after McClafferty filed an emergency motion to have his driver’s license returned so that he may “complete routine and necessary personal and business transactions that require a valid identification,” which the judge did grant. McClafferty noted in that motion that the license is not a “Real ID” and cannot be used for travel or federal identification. He also filed an extradition waiver along with Monday’s motion for emergency travel, meaning he would not fight efforts to return him to the Virgin Islands to stand trial in his bank fraud case, currently scheduled for Nov. 3.
McClafferty, 38, was arrested Feb. 21 by the Virgin Islands Police Department’s Economic Crime Unit in connection with an $888,500 fraud investigation. Authorities allege that between January and June 2024, McClafferty deposited counterfeit and fictitious checks — including instruments drawn on entities in the British Virgin Islands — and issued bank drafts that were later returned for insufficient funds or subject to stop-payment requests. Police say funds were withdrawn and wired to third parties before the instruments were returned unpaid.
McClafferty, a co-owner of St. Thomas Social, a restaurant in Yacht Haven Grande, is charged with grand larceny, passing or possession of forged bills, obtaining money by false pretenses, making and passing fictitious bills and notes, and drawing and delivering worthless checks. He has denied wrongdoing, is free on $150,000 bail, and has filed a lawsuit against Banco Popular, accusing it of negligence, defamation, abuse of process, false arrest and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
McClafferty also faces numerous civil lawsuits as the owner of Mac Private Equity — investors in that endeavor claim it was nothing more than a Ponzi scheme — and has filed for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in the District of Delaware. A confirmation hearing in the Chapter 13 case, April 10, was continued after objections by the Delaware Division of Revenue and Chapter 7 Trustee George Miller, who reported to the court that, as far as he can tell, “None of the records obtained to date demonstrate anything other than Mr. McClafferty using corporate funds for personal expenses.”
William F. Jaworski Jr., the Chapter 13 trustee, said in his motion to dismiss or convert the case to Chapter 7 that under the “‘totality of the circumstances’ test, the Debtor’s conduct, characterized by the failure to list all assets, concealment of income, the maintenance of a lavish lifestyle, and the funding of personal political ambitions while in bankruptcy falls far short of the ‘honest debtor’ standard. Such conduct warrants immediate dismissal.”
Additionally, 17 of his alleged victims — investors in Mac Private Equity who say their money vanished, including two who were awarded judgments in Virgin Islands court — have joined the call to have the Chapter 13 case converted to Chapter 7.
A subsequent hearing in the bankruptcy cases is scheduled for May 18.
Meanwhile, McClafferty has also launched a campaign for Virgin Islands Senate, though in recent days has said he might run for Delegate to Congress instead after Supervisor of Elections Caroline Fawkes said she is seeking Attorney General Gordon Rhea’s opinion on whether McClafferty is ineligible to run for a seat in the Legislature because of his lengthy criminal past in Ohio where he served time in prison on fraud charges before moving to the Virgin Islands in late 2020 or January 2021 with the intent, he told a reporter at the time, “to open a family office, buy a catamaran, and sail. That’s it. No plans beyond that.”
In a letter to Fawkes regarding McClafferty’s qualifications for office, his attorney, Bradley Lehman of Delaware, wrote that while some of the Ohio charges against McClafferty resulted in felony convictions, he brought three appeals in which the judgments of the trial courts were reversed and remanded. “The State of Ohio and Mr. McClafferty subsequently entered into a ‘global resolution’ that resulted in Mr. McClafferty pleading guilty to several misdemeanor violations of the [Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act] in lieu of being tried or retried on the felony counts of the indictments,” Lehman wrote.
Because misdemeanors are not felony convictions, Lehman reasoned, an individual does not forfeit his civil rights, and furthermore, “Mr. McClafferty submits that convictions arising from violations of the OCSPA do not rise to the level of ‘crimes of moral turpitude,’ as they are criminal and civil penalties relating to the operation of a consumer-related business in the State of Ohio,” thus making him eligible to run for office under the Revised Organic Act of 1954 that is the Virgin Islands’ de facto constitution.
Rhea had not issued an opinion on McClafferty’s eligibility as of Tuesday.
For years, employers have been promised healthcare savings, yet costs have continued to rise. A new validation may signal a meaningful shift in how those promises are measured and delivered.
