Police Victim Of Sex Tape Leak Says Sex Was Consensual; V.I.P.D. Seeking Feds Assistance

ST. CROIX — V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Glenn Dratte said this afternoon that the police officer who fell victim when a private video involving her and a man having sex was leaked online, said that the sex was consensual.

“The officer involved in the cyber attack is planning on coming back to work in the near future and the V.I.P.D. has confirmed that the officer was having consensual intimacy in her own private space,” Mr. Dratte said.

According to the release, the V.I.P.D. is seeking assistance from the federal government, and is in the process of “defining the perimeters of this type offensive activities, and trying to determine its source or sources,” Mr. Dratte said.

Both the V.I.P.D. and the Department of Justice are looking into the recent incidents. D.O.J. in particular, is investigating the rash of sex tape leaks occurring in the territory in recent days and weeks. Attorney General Claude Walker said the department will determine whether it will file criminal charges against perpetrators, as the sex tapes — showing explicit sexual content of local individuals — have long-lasting consequences not only for the victims of such leaks, but for their families, including children.

“We do have applicable statutes to prosecute offenders,” Mr. Walker said of the videos and images being leaked on social media, including Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The attorney general cited Title 14 of Virgin Islands Code 1021, called the Indecency Statute, which Mr. Walker says defines the territory’s indecency laws as well as obscene material, and what is considered shameful depictions of sex that goes beyond customary limits. The laws also address the electronic transfer of obscene materials that are distributed online.

“There are criminal sanctions tied to these laws for distributing obscene materials that are in violation of our indecency statutes,” Mr. Walker said. The AG also spoke of cyberstalking, found in Title 14 of Virgin Islands Code, Section 465A, which Mr. Walker said is similar to the indecency statute.

“And you also have what people don’t realize would be libel, which, again, deals with ridiculing and the dissemination of information to ridicule another,” Mr. Walker said, suggesting that the release of sexual content without the approval of the parties involved could net a suspect multiple charges and, if found guilty, a prison sentence.

Mr. Walker’s confirmation of the D.O.J.’s  investigation comes on the heels of Police Commissioner Delroy Richard’s own promise to dig further into the matter, which has become a personal issue for the police department since one of its own has been affected by the leaks.

“It’s unfortunate that the video ended up online, but I believe that at some point in time, she will have to be the one to determine who would have had access to that particular tape, or who taped the intimate session,” Mr. Richards said, referring to the police officer.

“The other ones I don’t know about them, but I will most certainly inquire, and if in fact it warrants the intervention of law enforcement, I will definitely coordinate my efforts with the federal agency that is responsible to monitor online explicit activities — whether it’s with a minor or adults — for assistance,” Mr. Richards added.