St. Croix Man Caught With Prison Contraband Facing Five Years, $250,000 Fine

A St. Croix man who pleaded guilty for hiding a shank and cellphone in his prison mattress is facing up to five years in jail and a fine of $250,000 if convicted, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe has announced.

Michael Boyce, 28, pleaded guilty on March 20 in St. Croix District Court to one count of possession of prison contraband. As part of the plea, Boyce admitted that on April 4, 2013, while he was an inmate at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility on St. Croix, he possessed a shank and a cellphone that were hidden inside his mattress.

According to Sharpe, mobile phones are prohibited contraband in correctional facilities because they are known to be used by prisoners to intimidate witnesses, orchestrate narcotics transactions, and to facilitate other criminal activity, including murders.

No date for sentencing has been set.

The case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.

Tags: 28, federal case, Michael Boyce, st croix, st. croix contraband case

Ernice Gilbert
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