According to United States Attorney Delia L. Smith, 21-year-old Rionel Allembert of St. Croix has been charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of a firearm within a school zone. If convicted, Allembert faces up to five years in prison.
According to court documents, on September 28, 2021, a Taurus 9mm handgun was located in a ditch at #21 Anna’s Hope, St. Croix, by members of the VIPD. After DNA testing was performed, the presence of Allembert’s DNA on the firearm. Allembert did not have a license to possess the firearm, located approximately 290 feet from the preschool Church of God of Holiness Academy.
The Virgin Islands Police Department is investigating this case, along with members of the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see:
https://www.justice.gov/psn.
