John Challenger of Estate Cane Carlton, St. Croix Photo Credit: VIPD
A St. Croix man was charged with forgery and filing or recording forged instruments on Friday morning after allegedly forging his parents' signature on a deed to gain ownership of the parents' land without their knowledge.
V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Toby Derima said Sunday that 35-year-old John Challenger of Estate Cane Carlton was arrested and remanded to the Golden Grove Detention Center after failing to make bail of $35,000, pending his advisement hearing.
According to the police report, the investigation into the case alleges that Mr. Challenger committed the crime in July of 2019.
According to the V.I.P.D., the U.S. Virgin Islands were among 32 states and territories that amended or added legislation to strengthen penalties for, or created legislation to deter unscrupulous persons (to include family members), from taking advantage of the elderly and persons dependent on their care. The local legislation has seen strict enforcement by the V.I.P.D., with Police Commissioner Trevor Velinor vowing continued support.
Upon passage of the legislation last year, the Economic Crime Unit (ECU), led by Sgt. Antonette Sargent, was given a mandate to bring all pending cases to the Commissioner’s Office for review. As a result of the review, a total of 21 cases — ranging from identity theft to financial exploitation of the elderly — were processed and executed in the territory, the V.I.P.D. said.
“Regardless of who you are or where you work, if our investigation determines that you have committed this violation of trust, you will be arrested,” Mr. Velinor said.
The commissioner applauded members of the Economic Crime Unit for their continued work and encouraged all victims of economic crimes to report their incidents to the police by calling 911, or the Economic Crime Unit at (340) 778-2211.
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