St. Thomas, USVI- After a two-day trial in District Court on St. Thomas, a federal jury today found Jace Clendinen, 31, guilty of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, announced United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on Sept. 1, 2014, officers of the Virgin Islands Police Department were in the area of the Smith Bay Ballpark during Labor Day J’Ouvert activities when they witnessed an ammunition magazine fall from a flatbed truck carrying the band. Officers ordered everyone off of the truck to determine who had a firearm. Clendinen jumped from the truck and rapidly walked away from the officers. Officers pursued Clendinen and discovered a Fabrique Nationale firearm with an obliterated serial number in Clendinen’s pant leg.
Clendinen’s sentencing is scheduled for May 25, 2015. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Sharpe commended the efforts of the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everard E. Potter and Segrid T. Sprotte.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
