St. Thomas, USVI – District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced Eugene Monsanto, Jr., 41, to 17 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced. Judge Gomez also ordered Monsanto to pay a $100 special assessment and complete 300 hours of community service.
On October 5, 2016, Monsanto pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the plea agreement, on Monday, May 30, 2016, Monsanto, who was aboard M/V Sundance Queen, a ferry traveling from the British Virgin Islands to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, presented himself for inspection at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Port of Entry. A CBP officer conducted a routine inspection and found a fully loaded .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver inside of Monsanto’s carry-on.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim L. Chisholm.