Dominica Native Pleads Guilty To Possession Of A Firearm

ST. THOMAS — Lester Gabriel Charles, 35, pleaded guilty before District Judge Curtis V. Gomez to possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, United States Attorney Gretchen Shappert announced. Charles sentencing is scheduled for November 15, 2018.

Virgin Islands Police Department responded to an altercation on April 5, 2018 involving Charles, who is in the United States illegally. Charles admitted that he possessed and later discarded the firearm, a Beretta Pierto Model CAT-5802, which Virgin Islands Police Officers recovered. The firearm contained 10 live rounds of ammunition—one in the chamber and one in the firearm’s magazine.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Virgin Islands Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David White.