ST. THOMAS — District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced on Thursday Ashemba Frett, 22, of Tortola, British Virgin Islands, to three months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for encouraging and inducing aliens to illegally enter the United States, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.
Judge Gomez ordered Mr. Frett to pay a $100 special assessment and perform 300 hours of community service.
On March 3, 2016, Mr. Frett pleaded guilty to encouraging and inducing aliens to illegally enter the United States. According to the plea agreement filed with the court, the United States Coast Guard (USSG) conducted a safety stop on a vessel in Jersey Bay, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The vessel was operated by an unidentified individual. Mr. Frett jumped into the water, but was apprehended by the Coast Guard.
A Haitian national and a national from the Dominican Republic were on board the vessel. Mr. Frett admitted that the Dominican Republic national paid him $700 to travel to St. Thomas from Tortola and that Mr. Frett knew he did not possess the proper documents to lawfully enter the United States.
The case was investigated by the USSG, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Air and Marine, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte
Tags: us coast guard, us virgin islands
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