Crime

Human Services Employee Arrested On Embezzlement And Related Charges

ST. THOMAS -- A government employee at the Department of Human Services (DHS) has been advised of her rights on multiple embezzlement-related charges. Shea Smith-Halliday, 44, above, of Estate Bordeaux appeared before Magistrate Henry Carr III on Thursday for her initial court hearing, the Department of Justice announced via press release this afternoon. Assistant Director of the Bureau of Investigation at the V.I. Department of Justice, Special Agent Sehkera Tyson, arrested Smith-Halliday on Wednesday on a warrant charging her with seven counts each of fraudulent claims upon the government; obtaining money by false pretense; embezzlement or falsification of public accounts; mutilation and destruction of public records by officers; and aiding and abetting. Magistrate Carr found that there was probable cause to sustain all of the charges and to move the case forward. At the time of her arrest, Smith-Halliday was granted bail in the amount of $35,000, which she was unable to post. Magist...