While the U.S. Virgin Islands are known for their beauty, recent revelations from the Department of Justice (DOJ) suggest the territory is also grappling with significant corruption. A DOJ press release detailed a major bribery and money laundering scheme involving two top officials.
Though not a state, the Virgin Islands has its own elected government and is strongly aligned with the Democratic Party — 12 of its 15 legislators are Democrats.
The DOJ announced that Ray Martinez, former police commissioner, and Jenifer O’Neal, former director of the Office of Management and Budget, were indicted for their roles in the scheme. Both appeared in court in St. Thomas.
According to court documents, Martinez and O’Neal accepted bribes from a government contractor, David Whitaker, in exchange for approving inflated invoices and helping secure payments from the government. The alleged scheme began in November 2022 and continued until June 2024, with O’Neal joining by January 2024.
The indictment also states that the pair laundered some of the bribe money, including using it to pay rent on O’Neal’s coffee shop. Martinez allegedly helped Whitaker land a $1.48 million contract with the police department, and later tried to obstruct the investigation by urging Whitaker to destroy evidence and submitting fake documents.
Both face multiple charges: five counts of honest services wire fraud (up to 20 years each), one count of federal program bribery (up to 10 years), and one count of money laundering conspiracy (up to 20 years). Martinez also faces two counts of obstruction of justice, carrying additional potential sentences of 20 years each.
The statement noted that the announcement was made by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, U.S. Attorney Delia Smith for the Virgin Islands, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez.
It added that the FBI’s San Juan Field Office, St. Thomas Resident Agency is leading the investigation, while Trial Attorneys Alexandre Dempsey and Steve Loew, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Conley, are handling the prosecution.
