St. Thomas, USVI – A federal grand jury has returned a 38-count indictment charging former Virgin Islands National Guard Major Sherrymae Morales, 54, with theft of public money, wire fraud and false statements, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced today. The indictment was returned on December 4, 2014, but was unsealed Wednesday when Morales appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller and entered a plea of not guilty. She was released on an unsecured $25,000 bond.
According to the indictment, from 2010 until 2011, Morales was employed as a full-time employee with the Virgin Islands National Guard (VING) on St. Croix. At the same time she was employed as a full-time VING employee, Morales also held a full-time contract position with the Military Personnel Services Corporation (MPSC), which provides employee support services to members of the VING. The indictment alleges that Morales submitted time sheets to both the MPSC and VING for the same 40-hour work weeks over a period of 14 months. If convicted, Morales faces
up to 20 years in federal prison.
United States Attorney Sharpe reminds the public that an indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
The case is being investigated by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command-Major Procurement Fraud Unit, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Everard E. Potter.
