Jury Finds Former P.F.A. Director And Two Others Not Guilty On All Charges
- Staff
- May 14, 2016
ST. THOMAS -- A Jury here found Julito Francis, former director of Finance and Administration for the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority under the former Governor John P. de Jongh administration, Gerard Castor, president and owner of Balbo Construction Corporation, and John Woods, co-principal of the architectural company Jaredian Design Group that worked on behalf of the V.I.P.F.A., not guilty on all 13 counts levied against them by the federal government. The verdict came just after 8:00 p.m. on Friday. In August, the three men were charged in a widely publicized case that draw the community's attention. According to the indictment, Mr. Castor provided more than $400,000 in improvements to Mr. Francis’ personal residence, and over $10,000 in improvements to Mr. Woods’ personal property. In return, Mr. Francis and Woods used their official positions to ensure that Balbo Construction was awarded construction contracts by the V.I.P.F.A. that were worth over $17 million, includ...
