ST. THOMAS — Jeanorah Williams, a 28-year-old resident of St. Croix, has entered a guilty plea to charges of engaging in the business of manufacturing firearms without a License.
United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced the plea, which was made before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller. Williams now faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000 for her conviction.
The case against Williams began in March 2020, following an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations. The investigation was initiated after it was discovered that Williams, along with her boyfriend Somalie Bruce, had purchased multiple money orders payable to gun manufacturers in Florida and North Carolina.
According to court documents, from May 2019 to July 2020, over 70 packages from these gun manufacturers were shipped to the couple at their address in St. Croix. Federal law enforcement also intercepted several packages addressed to Williams and Bruce between October and December 2020. These packages contained multiple firearm parts and accessories. All the packages were later collected by Williams and Bruce at a post office in St. Croix.
On December 8, 2020, federal search warrants were executed at an apartment shared by Williams and Bruce, as well as at a container on a vacant lot in St. Croix. The search led to the recovery of numerous firearm parts, accessories, and tools used to build various calibers of firearms. Neither Williams nor Bruce held licenses as firearm dealers, importers, or manufacturers, as required by federal law.
Somalie Bruce had earlier pleaded guilty on March 30, 2023, to conspiracy to traffic firearms and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. His sentencing is scheduled for December 1, 2023.
This case was jointly investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter prosecuted the case. This prosecution forms part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a multi-agency effort focused on identifying, disrupting, and dismantling high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States.
