A federal trial is now underway in District Court, St. Thomas, for two accused associates of a criminal enterprise led by convicted felon Paul Girard.
About a dozen people were identified by authorities as being part of a conspiracy that trafficked drugs, robbed banks and jewelry stores, and killed, wounded, and kidnapped members of rival gangs in the 2010 decade.
This week, defendants Ivan James and Joh Williams appeared before District Judge Mark A. Kearney for the start of trial in the Ron de Lugo Federal Building. They are accused as part of an overarching drug trafficking conspiracy, drug and weapons possession, and murder.
The original set of charges was part of a Dec. 18, 2019, grand jury indictment; murder charges were added in a third superseding indictment filed on Sept. 19, 2023. Levar Pogson, 31, was shot and killed on the playground of a St. Croix housing community on May 25, 2017. Authorities charged James and Williams with using two illegally possessed firearms in that fatal shooting.
If found guilty at trial, the two defendants face the chance of spending the rest of their lives in prison. The prosecution is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on St. Thomas.
