Former Virgin Islands Senator Wayne James to remain in federal custody

ST. THOMAS — Former St. Croix senator Wayne James will continue to remain in federal custody for the time being, a U.S. magistrate judge ruled Thursday.

District Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller said at a detention hearing in the District Court on St. Thomas that, given James’ history of extensive travel and his five-year absence from the territory, keeping him remanded in federal custody is the only condition that guarantees he will appear for formal court proceedings.

http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/james-to-remain-in-federal-custody/article_5f43147a-c9c4-5259-afc0-4a90152fcc95.html (subscription required)

James was arrested on June 29 in Modena, Italy, and extradited from Italy to face charges that he had defrauded the Government of the Virgin Islands of tens of thousands of dollars while he served as a senator in the Legislature.

Mr. James, 55, of St. Croix, was indicted on October 1, 2015, with two counts of wire fraud and one count of federal program embezzlement.

According to the indictment, from 2009 to 2011, Mr. James served as chair of the Senate Committee on Youth, Education and Culture in the 28th Legislature. While serving as the chair, Mr. James allegedly obtained tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars for the purpose of acquiring and translating historical documents related to the “Fireburn,” an 1878 uprising by freed slaves in St. Croix.

The indictment alleges that Mr. James submitted false documents to the Legislature and received cash advances in order to conduct historical research on behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands. Mr. James embezzled the cash advances for his own personal benefit instead of using them for the intended purposes, according to the indictment.

Source: http://viconsortium.com/breaking-news/former-senator-wayne-james-extradited-to-u-s-charged-with-wire-fraud-embezzlement-of-legislative-funds/