ST. CROIX — Victor Hugo Cannegieter, II, 31, has entered a guilty plea to the charge of illegal possession of a machine gun, as announced by United States Attorney Delia L. Smith on Thursday. The plea was registered in the U.S. District Court in St. Croix.
With a sentencing date set for January 5, 2024, Cannegieter faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of incarceration. The final determination of the sentence will be made by a federal district judge after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other pertinent statutory factors.
Court documents reveal that on the night of June 7, 2023, Cannegieter, under the influence of alcohol, visited the Castaways Restaurant situated at Estate Solitude on St. Croix. While at the establishment, he became involved in a verbal altercation with two male patrons. He was subsequently asked by the bartender to vacate the premises. Despite this, Cannegieter returned to Castaways later that evening and got embroiled in a physical altercation with two women. Amidst the scuffle, he attempted to draw a .40 caliber Glock pistol from his waistband. The bartender intervened, successfully wrestling the pistol away from Cannegieter. Shortly after, officers from the V.I. Police Department reached the scene and arrested Cannegieter.
A detailed examination by law enforcement revealed that the pistol was equipped with a "chip", a modification designed to convert the firearm into a machine gun capable of firing continuously with a single trigger pull. The firearm was fully functional and was fitted with an extended magazine loaded with 27 rounds of ammunition.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with the assistance of the VIPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Rikhye is prosecuting the case.
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