ST. CROIX — A federal jury has convicted Ervin Noel Jr. of possessing a machine gun and reckless endangerment, leaving the 22-year-old facing up to 10 years in prison in a case that also prompted a ruling against the V.I. Police Department’s questioning of him before administering Miranda warnings.
U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced the convictions November 13. Chief U.S. District Judge Robert A. Molloy will schedule Noel’s sentencing hearing.
Although Noel was initially indicted on five offenses, Molloy granted an oral motion for judgment of acquittal on the assault-related counts. The convictions for machine-gun possession and reckless endangerment remained.
The prosecution stemmed from gunfire on February 28, 2025, in Frederiksted. According to the Justice Department’s account of the trial evidence, Noel fired three shots into the air while riding as a passenger in a vehicle.
As The Consortium previously reported, police connected Noel to the shooting near Legendz Lounge and obtained an arrest warrant on May 6, 2025. Officers arrested him three days later during a traffic stop near the Reinholdt Jackson Sports Complex after stopping a vehicle that lacked a license plate.
Noel was sitting in the front passenger seat and was being taken to the hospital, according to testimony later presented during a hearing on his statements to police. Officers discovered a firearm beneath the seat where he had been sitting. The weapon had no serial number, was loaded with 14 rounds and was fitted with a device that converted it into a fully automatic machine gun.
The Justice Department described the conversion device as a “Glock switch” or “chip.” Prosecutors also said jurors viewed cellphone videos showing Noel displaying his modified firearm with a 50-round drum magazine attached.
Before trial, the court considered whether prosecutors could use Noel’s admissions that the firearm belonged to him. In an October 30 ruling, Molloy excluded his initial admission because a VIPD detective questioned him while he was in custody without first advising him of his constitutional rights.
The judge nevertheless allowed Noel’s later recorded statements, finding that he had received Miranda warnings, signed a waiver and knowingly and voluntarily agreed to answer questions. The ruling therefore excluded the initial unwarned admission while allowing prosecutors to use the subsequent interview.
The VIPD and FBI investigated the case. Noel’s sentence will be determined at the forthcoming hearing; the potential 10-year prison term announced by DOJ is not a sentence already imposed.
