A St. Croix man was extradited back to the territory Tuesday from the state of Georgia after an investigation revealed he illegally took funds from the 2020 Government of the Virgin Islands Economic Stimulus Account, the V.I. Police Department reported.
On June 9, 2023, the Economic Crime Unit initiated an investigation into fraudulent claims upon the government, a complaint filed by the Office of Management and Budget. Investigation revealed that over $500,000 was illegally taken from the 2020 Government of the Virgin Islands Economic Stimulus Account, which occurred over a period of time, according to the police report.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Japheth Roberts’, 37, arrest. On March 16, he was apprehended in the state of Georgia and held in custody, the police report stated.
Roberts was brought back to the territory through the extradition process and on Tuesday, he was turned over to the Economic Crime Unit detectives. Roberts’ bail was set in the amount of $100,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending advice of rights hearing, it said.
