Famed St. Thomas boxer John Jackson is facing decades behind bars following his conviction on 6 counts of first-degree rape, aggravated second-degree rape, transportation of a minor for sex and production of child pornography.
John Jackson, the famed St. Thomas boxer facing between 30-40 years in federal prison after being found guilty on all 6 counts of first-degree rape, aggravated second-degree rape, transportation of a minor for sex and production of child pornography, will be sentenced later than expected, according to court documents viewed by the Consortium.
Additionally, the V.I. District Court has granted Attorney Yohanna Manning's request to withdraw his representation of Jackson, and Jackson in turn has asked the court for representation. "The Court will appoint Jason Gonzalez-Delgado, Esq. to represent Defendant Jackson," reads the court order, issued Monday. "Attorney Manning shall cooperate fully in turning over any documents or other materials pertaining to Defendant Jackson’s representation and shall turn over such materials no later than August 29, 2022."
The court has scheduled a status conference at 2:00 p.m. Sept. 8 before Chief Judge Robert Molloy. Because of these changes, the August 24 sentencing of Jackson has been delayed "to a date to be determined in subsequent order," reads the court document.
The U.S. D.O.J. argues that Jackson is an inveterate and unrepentend sexual predator of minor girls — they allege in the memorandum that he deliberately canvassed school compounds and targeted minor girls on social media, luring them into sexual exploitation with gifts of cash, jewelry, alcohol and drugs.
While his conviction hinged on charges relating to the sex abuse of three teen girls, investigators say they found a total of six victims, however the other three were afraid to participate in the case against Jackson. Negative reactions on social media after the first victims were identified, prosecutors say, may have intimidated additional others from coming forward. Even the girls who were co-operating with the investigation were reluctant to name others who they were aware Jackson had targeted.
U.S. Attorney for the Virgin Islands, Delia Smith concluded at the end of the memorandum that Jackson’s predatory nature combined with his lack of remorse, plus the horrific facts of the case all point to between three and four decades behind bars as the most fitting term of incarceration for the convicted sex offender. It is now up to Judge Robort Molloy Jr. to consider the aggravating and mitigating factors in the case, and calculate Jackson’s final sentence.
