Former U.S. Virgin Islands Senator convicted of fraud and embezzlement of Federal funding program for historical research project.
Wayne James, 56, of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands-a group of Islands in the Caribbean sea with the status of unincorporated organized territory of the United States, was found guilty of fraud and theft of Federal program funds, Justice.gov reports.
“Wayne James abused a trusted position of Senator of the Virgin Islands of the United States, abducting tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to Finance his own campaign and for personal expenses,” told assistant attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski from the criminal investigation Department of the Ministry of justice. According to him, corruption undermines trust in state institutions and the rule of law.
James was charged in October 2015. From January 2009 to January 2011, James served as a Senator of the U.S. virgin Islands. According to the evidence received in court, in approximately April 2009, James began to apply to the Legislative chamber of the U.S. virgin Islands funds that was allegedly neobhodimy to conduct the study, copying and translating historical documents housed in the National archives of Denmark, associated with the rebellion against slave labor, which occurred in the virgin Islands in the nineteenth century. Although James initially did use some of the funds received to pay for the research project, he soon began to take the money for himself. By 2010, James had fabricated all the accounts and just stole the money. As a result, James forced the legislative Assembly of the virgin Islands to pay him more than 90 thousand dollars, of which approximately 70 thousand dollars he spent on himself.
“The U.S. attorney’s office in the virgin Islands of the United States intends to eliminate fraud and corruption in our government,” said US attorney Shappert. According to him, the accused used the precious history of the virgin Islands for his own purposes.
