ST. CROIX — The arrests of four men — Paul Sabers and Ed McKenzie, two businessmen, former Chief Enforcement Office for the Tax Assessor, Calford O. \u201cCappy\u201d Charleswell, and Sylvester Warner of the Waste Management Authority — that the Department of Justice accused of creating a fraudulent scheme to obtain prized property through a government-sanctioned auction, was only the beginning of a crackdown that Acting Attorney General Claude Walker has called a “corruption crisis” in the Virgin Islands.<\/p>\n
That’s what Mr. Walker said during a press conference held at the Department of Justice building in Castle Coakley on Friday afternoon, adding that while he understands that residents may be wearing of knowing that rampant corruption exists in a U.S. jurisdiction this small, they should not lose hope, as DOJ, along with the Office of the Inspector General, intend to go after \u00a0perpetrators and bring them to justice — a move Mr. Walker hopes will dissuade others with mal intent from attempting to defraud the government.<\/p>\n
“We are aware that there are a number of cases,” Mr. Walker revealed. “If you look at the last few months, the public can be a bit weary. It’s clear that we do have a corruption crisis. When you look at the number of cases that have been taken both federally and locally, at times it’s almost disgusting when you have a small U.S. jurisdiction such as the Virgin Islands, where you have this many cases.<\/p>\n
“But what I can tell the public is not to be weary; the Department of Justice and Inspector \u00a0General’s Office have only begun the fight. We intend to continue to aggressively investigate these cases to restore hope to the people of the Virgin Islands, and it does not have to be this way. It’s not something that we should have expect to endure,” Mr. Walker said.<\/p>\n