U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith announced Thursday that Maurice Eugene Tucker, 35, of South Carolina, made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller following his arrest on a warrant from Columbia, South Carolina. Tucker was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond and other conditions to allow him to return to South Carolina for further court proceedings.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office, court documents say on May 4, 2021, a South Carolina grand jury returned an indictment charging Tucker with being a felon in possession of a firearm. On May 15, 2022, Tucker was reportedly detained by Customs and Border Protection officers at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas after he appeared for primary inspection before boarding a flight to the mainland. Tucker was arrested and taken into custody by officers of the Virgin Islands Police Department.
This matter is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
An indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
