Man Who Altered Criminal Record To Land Job At Pueblo Sentenced To Multiple Years In Jail On Gun Possession Charges

ST. THOMAS — District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced on Thursday Tashimo Scatliffe, 33, — who was arrested by Virgin Islands Police Department officers in October 2015 for altering his criminal record in an attempt to land a job at Pueblo — to 120 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced on Thursday via press release. Above, a mugshot of Mr. Scatliffe.

Judge Gomez also ordered Mr. Scatliffe to pay a $100 special assessment and perform 400 hours of community service.

On October 20, 2015, Mr. Scatliffe pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to the plea agreement filed with the court, on February 2, 2015, V.I.P.D. officers responded to a domestic disturbance at the Paul M. Pearson Housing Community on St. Thomas.

Upon arrival, officers observed Mr. Scatliffe leaving the building where the call had originated. The complainant confirmed that Mr. Scatliffe was in possession of a firearm. Police searched the area and located a firearm and a spent casing. Analysis of these items verified that the spent casing had been fired from the recovered firearm. In addition, Mr. Scatliffe’s DNA was found on the firearm. Mr. Scatliffe is a convicted felon and therefore cannot legally possess a firearm in the Virgin Islands. He was previously convicted of felony offenses in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.

“This is a great example of federal and local agencies sharing resources to combat violent gun crime and eradicate those who want to destroy our communities,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Carlos A. Canino.

This case was investigated by the ATF and the V.I.P.D. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.

Correction: February 20, 2016

A previous version of this story gave an incorrect amount of years that Tashimo Scatliffe will be serving in federal prison. Mr. Scatliffe will serve 10 years in jail, not close to five, as the story previously stated.