Anne Golden, left, and Stephanie Barnes, right. Photo Credit: V.I. CONSORTIUM
Last updated on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021 at 11:22 p.m.
U.S. Attorney for the USVI District Gretchen Shappert along with assistant attorneys Jill Koster and Evan Rikhye on Nov. 23 sought dismissal from the court of three of six charges against Stephanie Barnes, an alleged co-conspirator in the V.I. Casino Control Commission corruption scandal that also involved ex-C.C.C. Director Violet Anne Golden.
Ms. Shappert and her assistant attorneys moved to dismiss without prejudice counts 21, 25, and 31 of the superseding 31-count indictment against Ms. Barnes "so as to streamline the issues and evidence to be presented at the December 6, 2021 trial," according to court documents obtained by the Consortium.
Ms. Barnes is still facing charges on counts 5, 23 and 30. On count 5, Ms. Barnes is accused of conspiracy to commit theft from programs and receiving federal funds in violation of U.S. law. On count 23, she is accused of receipt of stolen government monies in violation of Virgin Islands law. And on count 30, Ms. Barnes is accused of filing a false tax return in violation of Virgin Islands law.
The defendant had sought a motion to continue which would have rescheduled the Dec. 6 court trial into the future. However, the court denied the request, according to court documents.
"The government reiterates that it has not sought and is not seeking a continuance of the trial in this case. Nor has the government collected discovery or timed its discovery productions in an effort to bring about a continuance of the trial," the federal government said. Citing a number of precedents, the federal government further stated, "Once materials are obtained by the United States, it must meet its discovery obligations."
The charges stem from a November 21, 2019 federal grand jury 31-count superseding indictment charging Ms. Golden and Ms. Barnes with a long-running scheme to steal and embezzle money from the Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission.
Correction: Nov. 28, 2021 at 9:34 a.m.
A previous version of this story stated that Anne Violet Golden was still incarcerated. That's incorrect. Ms. Golden was released from prison on Sept. 24, 2021. The story has been updated to reflect the correct information.
