It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Milagros Vigo-Espinosa, who left us peacefully on February 24, 2025, at the age of 89.
Millie, as she was most often affectionately called, was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico on November 16, 1935, to Agripina “Pina” Acosta and Bartolo Vigo (deceased). She is survived by: husband Julio Espinosa, daughter Marangeli Gibbs, son Dwayne Nieves, sons-in-law Anthony Gibbs and Carl Washington, stepdaughter Julie Espinosa, stepson Frederick Espinosa, Grandsons Ishem Nieves and Rubio Espinosa, granddaughters Nykol Altieri, Myah Gibbs and Mariah Espinosa, great granddaughter Angelica Espinosa, special cousins Junior Acosta, Nela Abreu, Carmencita Santos, best friends Angeles and Augusto “Tuto” Quijano, Marta Moreno, Fela Nieves, Aida Ramirez, Rosa Armstrong, the Fuentas family, Elsie’s Beautiful Hair Salon Staff, and relatives and friends too numerous to mention. A special thanks and recognition to the teams and staff of the Ten Pins Bowling Alley, where Millie enjoyed playing all her life. Thanks also to the Continuum Care staff, especially Luisa Borgen, the caregiver so helpful in caring for Millie during her prolonged and debilitating illness.
There will be a viewing at Divine Funeral Services in Peter’s Rest Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The celebration of life will be at St. Ann’s Chapel in Barron Spot March 20, 2025, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., followed by interment at the Kingshill Cemetery.
Those in attendance are asked to dress in casual, light or colorful attire. Flowers are welcome. Please make all donations to St. Ann’s Catholic Church, they will be very much appreciated. Plans for a repass will be announced later.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved son and Brother, Leando Hodge, better known as “TOP DOG,” who passed away on February 19, 2025, at the age of 59.
He is survived by His Father Raymond Hodge Sr., and the Late Vionie Hodge, Sister- Amy Hodge Grant, Brothers- Raymond Hodge Jr., Roan Hodge and Ralph Hodge Son- Rudolph Hodge Jr., Nieces – Shenice Brotherson, Summer Grant and Skye Grant, Aunt and Uncles- Clarena Scatliffe, Murphy James, Melvin Sasso, Clemencia Sasso, Richard Sasso, Wilfred Smith and Cynthelia Hodge and many cousins too numerous to mention.
Funeral Details: 1st Viewing: Date: March 7, 2025 Time: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Turnbull Funeral Home.
Date: March 8, 2025 2nd Viewing Time: 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Service Time: 10:00 am at Nisky Moravian Church internment eastern cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are by Turnbull’s Funeral Home and Crematory Services.
Darin Richardson enters the federal courthouse Wednesday on St. Croix shortly before a jury found him guilty of five charges. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
A Virgin Islands jury Wednesday found Darin Richardson guilty of all five charges federal prosecutors brought against the former V.I. Housing Finance Authority executive over the last year. After a full day of deliberations, the jury foreperson told the court that the panel determined Richardson was guilty of making material false statements to a federal agent, criminal conflict of interest, bank fraud, money laundering and making false statements on a loan application.
A sentencing date has not yet been set, and the government did not ask that Richardson be detained ahead of his sentencing.
The verdicts came after a nearly two week-trial, during which prosecutors sought to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Richardson received a $107,000 kickback for improperly awarding a warehouse management services contract to steward lumber for disaster recovery projects and that, later, he lied on a home construction loan application and used portions of the money he received to buy property.
While at VIHFA, Richardson — then the semiautonomous agency’s chief operating officer — served on the bid evaluation committee that awarded a nearly $3 million warehousing contract to Island Services Group. The contract was amended multiple times over the next year, increasing to more than $4.3 million. ISG subcontracted the actual work to D&S Trucking. That company’s owners, Davidson and Sasha Charlemagne, were also indicted in June.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cherrisse Woods said during the trial’s opening arguments on Feb. 20 that at some point, Richardson approached ISG managing partner Morris Anselmi about a business arrangement. In February 2022, Anselmi gave Richardson a $107,000 loan. Days later, Richardson notified VIHFA leadership of the business relationship and recused himself from all matters related to ISG.
“But what the evidence in this case will show,” Woods said, is that he didn’t.
During the trial, jurors were shown multiple checks to ISG totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, which Richardson signed after he had formally recused himself from matters related to the company.
Richardson’s attorney, Darren John-Baptiste, stridently refuted the government’s claims over the course of the 10-day trial.
John-Baptiste attempted to downplay Richardson’s influence over the VIHFA bid evaluation committee and noted that two of the committee’s five members had given ISG a higher score than did Richardson. John-Baptiste also highlighted the relatively small number of executives at VIHFA who were authorized to sign checks to contractors and stressed that the Authority’s then-executive director, Daryl Griffith, was out of the territory at the time the checks to ISG were signed.
Moments before the jury returned to the court to read the verdicts aloud Wednesday afternoon, John-Baptiste asked U.S. District Judge Wilma Lewis to declare a mistrial in response to comments prosecutors made to the jury during their closing arguments earlier this week. John-Baptiste specifically took issue with the government’s claim that Richardson had signed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of checks to ISG and Anselmi.
“The government fully well knew that that was not a factual statement,” he said, because Anselmi and ISG only reaped 13 percent of the money paid out for the lumber storage contract. Most of the money was forwarded to the Charlemagnes’ company, D&S Trucking.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston rebutted the claim, noting that the checks in question “have been presented every step of this proceeding.” John-Baptiste indicated that the jurors had been misled because attorneys were unable to discuss the Charlemagnes, whose case was severed from Richardson’s in September.
“Any attempt to introduce new evidence at this point is clearly improper,” Huston said.
Lewis denied the motion, which she called “grossly untimely.” Lewis said the court would likely have dealt with John-Baptiste’s objection to the comment if he had raised it at the time, rather than after a full day of deliberation by the jury.
Former VIHFA executive Darin Richardson and attorney Darren John-Baptiste exit the federal courthouse on St. Croix after a jury found Richardson guilty of all charges. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
Prosecutors added the latter three charges against Richardson — making false statements on a loan application, bank fraud and money laundering — in a superseding indictment filed in December.
According to the indictment, Richardson requested a $200,000 construction loan from Banco Popular in August 2020 to build a single-family home in Estate Bordeaux on St. Thomas. A loan agreement was executed in December of that year. That agreement included a construction estimate seemingly prepared by Four Star Construction but actually prepared by Richardson and presented on Four Star’s letterhead.
“This gave the appearance that the estimate of the construction costs was created by Four Star, a construction company,” according to the charging document. “Consequently, this estimate was relied upon by BPPR in approving the loan and loan amount.”
Woods told jurors during the government’s opening argument that Richardson received the loan in three installments. He used some of the money for its stated purpose, but according to Woods, he also bought a car and used $50,500 from the loan’s third installment — together with the $107,000 he received from Morris Anselmi — to buy an Estate Fortuna property through a U.S. Marshals Service auction.
Following Wednesday’s conviction, John-Baptiste signaled his client’s intent to appeal.
St. Thomas-St. John residents faced frustrating rolling blackouts Wednesday, a consequence of ongoing generation issues at the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight attributed the generation issues to fuel line fractures on Unit 23, which the utility has been operating for the past couple of weeks.
“The unit developed some fractures in the fuel line that we’ve been trying to repair, but the one today we thought was too urgent to continue operations without giving it a proper repair, so we took it down,” Knight said, adding that the authority was working to get it back on line before the peak evening hours Wednesday. “Because we are light on generation capacity, we have had to rotate outages to meet the demand.”
The unit was brought back online around 9 p.m. Wednesday night, with all feeders restored and the remaining rotation schedule canceled.
Knight said that to supplement, WAPA has its three Phase I Wartsila generations operational, but three out of four of the Phase II generators encountered “issues a few weeks back.” Specifically, it looks like a faulty fuel pump, which affected three of the Phase II units, but all four were taken down out “of an abundance of caution” while repairs, which are underway, were executed.
The Phase II units are dual-fuel, operating on propane and diesel, and Wartsila teams are currently on the ground to ensure the issue is not systemic.
“Once they start to execute repairs, we can give a better post mortem, but we are moving post haste to get those repaired,” Knight said, adding that the fully functioning units will make the power generation more stable.
Sen. Kurt Vialet listens to and answers IRB Director Joel Lee at Tuesday’s hearing. (Photo from V.I. Legislature livestream)
On Tuesday, senators questioned Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s financial team about whether a sales tax was better for the territory than a gross receipt tax. Everyone agreed that more study was needed.
Sen. Angel Bolques was first to point out that the 32nd Legislature passed a bill mandating the creation of a Tax Study Commission over two years ago.
Bureau of Internal Revenue Director Joel Lee said he was a nonvoting commission member, and no meetings had been held yet. He said it was difficult to find people to serve on the commission. He said the commission needed members who were tax experts yet had no position that would look like a conflict of interest.
Finance Department Commissioner Kevin McCurdy said some names had been recommended for the Tax Study Commission, but “We just have not mobilized yet.”
Office of Management and Budget Director Julio Rhymer said some financial team officials were meeting and discussing the potential for structural changes in the tax system “outside the commission.”
Gov. Charles Turnbull appointed a tax study commission in 2001. The commission was tasked with examining the territory’s tax laws and assessing how changes in tax policy could affect business and development.
In 2020, when former Sen. Donna Frett Gregory was crafting the legislation for a bill later signed into law by Bryan, she called it a reenactment.
Senate President Milton Potter, who chaired the Committee of the Whole session, said senators would have to determine how long they wanted to wait for the Tax Study Commission’s recommendations before taking matters into their own hands. Sen. Kurt Vialet said the senators would have to be “leery” of any recommendations made by the tax study commission. “We might not want what they recommend.”
Under question from Sen. Marise James, Lee said that bondholders would have to approve any lowering or elimination of the gross receipt tax. He added that bondholders would probably be reluctant to approve any reduction.
“So our hands are forever tied to the length of the bond agreement,” she said.
“Yes,” he replied.
Earlier in his testimony, Lee said, “Just to set the record straight from the beginning, I want to point out that these two taxes can be administered simultaneously. There is no rule that would indicate that we need to choose between the two taxes. However, it is important to note that the Virgin Islands has always been marketed as a duty-free destination, so we should keep that in mind as we consider the impact that this may have on our tourism market, especially as we compete with other Caribbean destinations.”
Sen. Hubert Frederick said the government was losing a lot of income because mail orders coming into the territory through services like Amazon were not being taxed.
“We don’t even know what we are missing,” Lee said.
“I know for a fact that it is significant,” McCurdy said.
James asked which tax has the most burden on the poor. Lee said that in many jurisdictions, when a sales tax is applied, certain items like clothing and food are exempt.
Senators pointed out that “no one likes to pay taxes, but everyone wants service.”
Attorney Marjorie Roberts, center, speaks on behalf of Historic Heritage Holdings, LLC, with her colleague, Lisa Wisehart, on the right and owner Peter Zielke’s affiliate company’s chief financial officer, Camila Devlin, on the left. (Screenshot from Zoom meeting)
The Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority held its governing board meeting Tuesday virtually via Zoom and heard testimony from Historic Heritage Holdings, LLP, a company seeking tax incentives on St. Croix to build a boutique hotel in Christiansted.
“What we’re really trying to do is build an entire arts, entertainment and hospitality district,” said Peter Zielke, majority owner. “I think that St. Croix should be different from St. Thomas and St. John.”
Zielke has been in the process of constructing the hotel for the last four years. Historic Heritage Holdings is seeking tax incentives to operate as a Category III hotel/guesthouse and Category IV family office and venture capital managing and investment entity.
The hotel, which will be located in downtown Christiansted, is anticipated to open in 2028. The property is expected to feature a minimum of 66 rooms, a gym, a pool, and three restaurants.
Attorney Marjorie Roberts spoke on behalf of the company and said that it will also renovate nearby properties to operate as part of the hotel.
“To date, Historic Heritage has renovated and refurbished eight beautifully appointed units,” said Roberts. “Over the next year, Historic Heritage anticipates renovating an additional 20 units and buildings near the hotel site that it has acquired.”
Zielke said the hotel will be constructed between the bypass and the fort next to the police unit. According to him, the property used to serve as an outrigger, then as the largest yacht club in the Caribbean, and later as a hotel, gym, and restaurant. Now, it is on its way to becoming a hotel. Zielke also said that a two-story parking garage with luxury short-term residences attached above will also be constructed.
People walking the downtown streets with old-fashioned architecture by the corner of Company St. in Christiansted, St. Croix. (Source file photo)
“Next to Savant, where [there] is the large parking lot and some old ruins, that will also become a parking garage because one of the things we noticed is that there is not enough parking in downtown Christiansted,” said Zielke. In addition, he said, “We would get the lease in front of the police marine unit and be able to work towards completing the whole boardwalk project.”
By doing this, Zielke said the street will be converted into a hotel, restaurant and arts district. He also said that though 66 rooms are expected, he wants to have 100 rooms for guests and an additional 20 to 40 rooms to accommodate employees. He wants to place employee housing on Church Street.
Board members appeared hopeful for the construction of the properties with some inquiring about touring the site. Member Positive Nelson expressed dismay however, after Zielke spoke about some of the challenges he has encountered so far with establishing the hotel.
“We have CZM and permitting issues and historic issues that unfortunately delay projects significantly,” said Zielke. “I bought this property four and a half years ago, intending to as soon as possible start this.”
Zielke said the entire timing of the project is dependent on the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. He said that since beginning the project, he has received multiple zoning certification letters and architectural letters, engaged in public hearings, and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to be regulated accordingly and rezone his property. However, a year later, he found out that the processes he endured were unnecessary and the result of zoning errors made in the DPNR system and that his property did not have to be rezoned.
“I would say anyone who is willing to build a hotel on St. Croix has to have a lot of courage and quite a bit of foolishness because unfortunately today is not structurally set up to make that happen,” said Zielke.
Roberts said that Historic Heritage Holdings has a capital investment of $11 million and will employ a minimum of 10 employees within one year of operation. The company will provide health and life insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and 13 paid holidays annually. Additionally, $20,000 will be made to charities in the territory annually, with 55 percent in kind or in cash to the education department for public school programs and initiatives, with $3,000 paid annually to the territorial scholarship fund and $2,500 to the labor department.
“We remain very hopeful that we could open in 2028. And I think that assuming we get all the permits and inspections in necessary time it will,” said Zielke.
After the public hearing, decision meetings for the Enterprise Zone Commission and the Economic Development Bank were held. Members Kevin Rodriguez, Jose Penn, Philip Payne, Anise Hodge, and Positive Nelson were present.
Savan in the Savan-Downstreet Enterprise Zone. (Source file photo)
On Tuesday, the Virgin Islands Economic Development Bank held its governing board meeting virtually on Zoom and voted to approve several items and decline a term loan for Out Da Pot LLC.
The meeting began with a public hearing for the Virgin Islands Economic Development Commission, where Historic Heritage Holdings, LLP, presented testimony in an attempt to receive VIEDC tax incentives on St. Croix to operate as a hotel, family office, and venture capital managing and investment entity. Later, the Economic Development Bank Board unanimously approved the State Small Business Credit Initiative – Standard Operating Procedure and unanimously approved the following measures:
Approved up to $132,500 or up to 50 percent in the collateral support program from the State Small Business Credit Initiative to First Bank Puerto Rico to Twin City Mobile Integrated Healthcare, LLC.
Approved up to $1,642,200 or up to 80 percent below guarantee program support from the State Small Business Credit Initiative to Merchants Commercial Bank on behalf of Your Environmental Solution, LLC.
Approved a $500,000 term loan for 10 years at an interest rate of the Wall Street Journal prime rate plus 1.5 percent for a development loan fund for the build out, purchase of appliances and machinery, and working capital for In the Mix Cakery, LLC.
The board also:
Declined a term loan to Out Da Pot, LLC.
Later in the meeting, the Economic Zone Commission held its decision meeting to vote on two applications. The board unanimously approved the application for The Mango Works, LLC to enter the Enterprise Zone Plan Program for 90 percent tax exemptions on corporate income tax, 100 percent exemption on gross receipt taxes and 100 percent exemption on property tax. They will also invest $140,000 on the revitalization of their building at #13 Wimmelskafts Gade in the Savanne-Downstreet Enterprise Zone.
The board additionally voted unanimously to approve the application for Noel Charles to receive tax credits and invest $112,000 into the property, with $80,000 toward rehabilitation, at #1 Store Gronne Gade in the Garden Street Enterprise Zone.
Members Kevin Rodriguez, Jose Penn, Philip Payne, Anise Hodge, and Positive Nelson were present.
The varsity boys’ basketball teams from all four public high schools across the territory will compete in the third annual Spring Varsity Showcase Tournament, which will be held Friday through Sunday in Longwood, Florida, the V.I. Education Department announced.
Hosted by TK Sports Club, Inc., the tournament will provide the student-athletes an opportunity to compete against national opponents and gain exposure to college scouts, according to the press release.
Defending champions Ivanna Eudora Kean High School will represent St. Thomas alongside Charlotte Amalie High School. From St. Croix, Central High School and Educational Complex High School will take the court. The teams will travel to Florida on Wednesday in preparation for the three-day tournament at Milwee Middle School, located at 1341 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd, the press release stated.
VIDE expressed its appreciation for the sponsors whose contributions made the trip possible, including the Virgin Islands Lottery, Neltjeberg Bay Enterprise, LLC, Caribbean Rose, Discover Fund Management, LLLP, Xtreme Sports and Electronics, and several other businesses and organizations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the mainland United States, the release stated.
Beyond the games, the tournament will feature performances by the Caribbean Ritual Dance Group, Fete Masters Majorettes, and a celebrity basketball game showcasing notable figures from the USVI. Organizers encourage community members in Florida to attend and support the teams, it said.
The Spring Varsity Showcase Tournament continues to attract attention from Division II and III collegiate programs, offering a platform for student-athletes to demonstrate their skills. “Your generosity plays a vital role in supporting our youth, allowing them to gain valuable experiences at this prestigious tournament,” VIDE stated in the press release.
The Virgin Islands Department of Health advises the public that its St. Thomas offices, located at the John S. Moorehead Complex in Hospital Ground, are temporarily closed due to an extended power outage.
The affected offices include Environmental Health, Vital Records and Statistics, and Financial Services. Normal operations are expected to resume on Thursday.
The Department apologizes for any inconvenience this temporary closure may cause and appreciates the public’s understanding.
The University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park (UVI RTPark) is excited to announce its upcoming Virgin Islands Catalyst Fund Business Loan Summits: Driving Success by Igniting Growth and Inspiring Innovation.
According to the RTPark’s Executive Director and CEO Eric Sonnier, the two one-day sessions for business owners in the territory will focus on accelerating business growth, job creation, and economic development. The summits will take place from 10 am to 12 pm on Wednesday, March 19, at the Medical Simulation Center on UVI’s Albert A. Sheen Campus, St. Croix, and Thursday, March 20, at the XIIID (13D) Innovation Center on UVI’s Orville E. Kean Campus, St. Thomas. Lunch will be provided at 12p and there is an opportunity for private consultations after lunch.
The V.I. Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund, established by Legislative Act 8464 with an initial capitalization of $5 million, launched in early 2022. As mandated by the legislation, it is managed by the RTPark’s Community Impact Fund, Inc. (CIF), a 501(c)(3), non-profit entity. The CIF makes loans to eligible businesses approved by the RTPark’s Loan Review Committee.
The loan fund is designed to supplement rather than fully finance business needs. It complements traditional capital sources in the USVI, such as banks, and is commonly known as “gap financing.” Loans can be utilized for various purposes, including acquiring or leasing land and buildings, purchasing equipment, and securing operating capital. Eligible applicants must be enterprises based in the territory with a valid VI business license for at least 18 months and have maintained good standing with the VI Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Lieutenant Governor’s Office of Corporations & Trademarks.
The areas for business growth identified in the fund’s legislation include telecommunications, healthcare, energy services, sustainable agriculture, manufacturing, visitor economy, financial technical services, business process outsourcing, and the creative economy, Sonnier said. “Those areas designated for economic and community development closely align with the work of the RTPark. Being a driving force behind the sustainable development of the U.S. Virgin Islands is important to both entities, so providing support in the form of loans and other resources is a collaboration that makes sense for all parties involved.”
Ronnie N. Johnson, Chief Credit Officer of the Community Impact Fund, added “Our priority is to support businesses that meet the territory’s growing demands. To date, the gap financing fund has assisted businesses in healthcare technology, workforce training, and farming,” he said. Approved loans can range from $25,000 to $250,000.
The summit agenda features an introduction to the loan program, along with 30-minute private consultation sessions for the first 20 business owners on each island who register and meet the loan eligibility criteria. For more details and to register visit www.vicatalystfund.com. Admission and lunch are free. Interested business owners unable to attend can email ronnie.johnson@cifvi.org to schedule a consultation.
Sonnier strongly encourages the participation of entrepreneurs, underscoring the importance of this opportunity to gain critical financial insights and strategies to scale their businesses and secure financial stability. “Our goal is to provide actionable knowledge and real-world tools to inspire innovation and drive business success.”
In Loving Memory:
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved son and Brother, Leando Hodge, better known as “TOP DOG,” who passed away on February 19, 2025, at the age of 59.
