Former Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Sports, Parks, and Recreation Calvert White and Benjamin Hendricks were convicted of Honest Services Wire Fraud and Federal Programs Bribery after a four-day jury trial in St. Thomas, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper.
“No one is above the law,” said Acting United States Attorney Adam Sleeper. “Today’s convictions show that even high-ranking government officials will be held accountable for engaging in criminal misconduct. Our community deserves better.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Devin Kowalski commented on the impact of public corruption, stating: “Public corruption erodes the very fabric of our society. The community deserves honesty and integrity from public officials. The FBI follows the facts no matter where they lead. Our mission is simple but powerful: to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. Every person in the Virgin Islands is included in that promise. I want to thank our dedicated FBI agents and personnel here in the Virgin Islands who worked relentlessly on this investigation as well as our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office and the Public Integrity Section. We encourage anyone with information on federal crimes to contact us at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at Tips.FBI.Gov. Tipsters may remain anonymous.”
Evidence presented during trial showed that White solicited and accepted a bribe from then-government contractor David Whitaker through Hendricks, who acted as an intermediary between December 2023 and June 2024. In return for payments from Whitaker, White provided confidential bid information and took steps to help Whitaker secure a contract valued at $1.6 million with Sports, Parks & Recreation (SP&R). Hendricks facilitated these transactions as a middleman.
The offense of Honest Services Wire Fraud carries up to 20 years in prison, while Federal Programs Bribery can result in up to 10 years imprisonment. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The case was investigated by the FBI San Juan Field Office, St. Thomas Resident Agency, with prosecution handled by Trial Attorneys Alexandre Dempsey and Lina Peng from the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Conley for the District of the Virgin Islands.
