Got TIPS or BREAKING NEWS? Please call 1-284-442-8000 direct/can also WhatsApp same number or Email ALL news to:newsvino@outlook.com;                               ads call 1-284-440-6666

Violet 'Letty' Hodge's name is cleared in drug case by main witness

Drug kingpin James 'Jimmy Juice' Springette testified in the Magistrate’s court of the Virgin Islands (VI) via video link yesterday January 22, 2015 and said he had no dealings in his business with Mrs Violet ‘Letty’ Hodge. Photo: Internet source
Mrs Violet 'Letty' Hodge whose name was cleared by the witness. Photo: VINO/File
Mrs Violet 'Letty' Hodge whose name was cleared by the witness. Photo: VINO/File
It was a long day in court for Mr Lucien Smith who is being jointly charged and tried with Mrs Letty Hodge but nothing came from any witness about his involvement in any drug operation. Photo: VINO/File
It was a long day in court for Mr Lucien Smith who is being jointly charged and tried with Mrs Letty Hodge but nothing came from any witness about his involvement in any drug operation. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – It was another long day in the defendants’ box for Mrs Violet ‘Letty’ Hodge and Mr Lucien Smith yesterday January 22, 2015 but the focus was primarily on Mrs Hodge when drug kingpin James ‘Jimmy Juice’ Springette testified in the Magistrate’s Court of the Virgin Islands (VI) via video link.

The man who moved from being a “flat footer” selling drinks in the streets of St Thomas, USVI to being a multi-millionaire who owned aircrafts and airstrips and having major influence in a Venezuelan military as a result of him becoming involved in cocaine trafficking, emphatically cleared the name of Mrs Hodge when he stated to the court that he never had any dealings with her as it related to his drug operations.

Springette is today in a correctional facility in Herlong California, USA where he has another 10 years of incarceration. Due to his agreeing to cooperate with US authorities, he had a time of 410 months reduced to 220 months. He is currently 55 years old and is likely to be out of prison at the age of 66.

Despite Springette's long detailed history of how he became to know Mrs Hodge who he described at one stage as “an attractive woman facially”, Attorney Mr Julian Knowles, QC questioned whether he really knew the person he claims to know as ‘Letty’ Hodge.

Who is Letisha?

Given the opportunity to cross examine the witness, Knowles had put to the witness that Mrs Hodge had no recollection of ever knowing him (Springette) and he replied, “I am sorry to hear that…. I know her personally.”

Mr Knowles’ grounds on defending his client was partly due to an affidavit that Mr Springette had signed. In that document he named the woman he now claims to be ‘Letty’ as Letisha and at no stage in the document did he mention the name ‘Letty’.

As the witness insisted on Letisha being the same person as Letty, he said Letisha is Spanish for Letty. He even went as far as to question Mr Knowles’ knowledge of the Spanish language. “I am 100% sure that I know her, unequivocally.”

Lucien Smith’s best friend

For Mr Lucien Smith, who is being jointly charged and tried with Mrs Hodge, it was a long day as well but nothing came from any witness about his involvement in any drugs operation.

The one person who called the name of Mr Smith was a man who told the court that Mr Smith is his best friend. “That’s my best friend, we sit and chat in the yard and eat fish.”

He told the court that his relationship with Mr Smith was more than two decades old as he had always been his main mechanic and source of parts and engines for his boats. He referred to Mr Smith as being one of few mechanics who dealt with boats that charged a reasonable price for his services back in the days.

His testimony was more directed by the prosecution’s line of questioning to his ownership of boats and him allegedly seeing one boat with the name ‘Good to go’ at Mr Smith’s place of business. “It had some rental name on it I don’t know who owns it.” 

Testimonies via video link

Meanwhile, the prosecution led by Principal Crown Counsel Ms Tiffany R. Scatliffe attempted to debar members of the public present in the courtroom from seeing who were the witnesses testifying via video link.

The television set was placed backing the public but in clear view of those at the bar, court workers, and the magistrate.

It may have appeared that an attempt was also made to have the witnesses not see the defendants but there was one point where video link witness Mr James 'Jimmy Juice' Springette made it known that he was clearly seeing the person who he knows to be Mrs ‘Letty’Hodge.

Prosecution a mocking stock?

What many persons of the public, especially those who were not in the court room yesterday, found very silly of the prosecutors was their apparent effort to hide the identity of the video link witnesses who they claimed to have fear for their lives. A quick internet search brings up photos of the individuals.

This is especially so in the case of Mr Springette, who in the world of social media and the federal world, is no stranger to being public. His photos are all over google sites and his name, business, drug operations, his testimonies against others who are or were in the business of drugs/cocaine from St Thomas to the VI to St Maarten, to Colombia, to Venezeula are all very public information and those are just a few.

As it related to two others, fishermen, who testified via video link, Mr Christopher D. Berry and his father Mr David F. Berry, there was no indication that they had any fears as at the introductory stages of his testimony Mr David F. Berry offered to make known the address of where he lives but was guided against that by the prosecution. The two testified of salvaging a boat that they found up-side down in USVI waters back in 2010. They gave no evidence of seeing or finding anything other than a broken off piece of the boat close by and didn’t see coast guards take anything suspicious off the salvaged boat.

17 Responses to “Violet 'Letty' Hodge's name is cleared in drug case by main witness”

  • ABC (23/01/2015, 08:46) Like (8) Dislike (12) Reply
    Why they do not let go the lady
  • Freeway (23/01/2015, 09:06) Like (6) Dislike (11) Reply
    I've never had a problem with drugs. I've had problems with the police
  • Yes (23/01/2015, 10:06) Like (5) Dislike (5) Reply
    Jimmy trying hard to get out.
  • Hmm (23/01/2015, 10:52) Like (9) Dislike (10) Reply
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ6EYfCwA2E
  • Correction (23/01/2015, 10:55) Like (3) Dislike (2) Reply
    'Jimmy "Da" Juice' - I'm surprise he didn't rat like he has been doing for the past few years trying to lessen his sentence.
  • Scotch Bonnet (23/01/2015, 13:09) Like (7) Dislike (2) Reply

    The witness has stated that sh was PRESENT and acted as interpreter for her partner,Bob. Well my dear, One and One equal two and the two are One.

  • downs (23/01/2015, 15:09) Like (3) Dislike (7) Reply
    We need Bob and letty out to keep horse race alive
  • Info (23/01/2015, 15:15) Like (1) Dislike (7) Reply
    Jimmy will be out in FOUR YEARS.......so how is he trying hard.............
  • just asking.... (23/01/2015, 20:17) Like (3) Dislike (7) Reply
    the good lady name is cleared now what's next more crap
  • HAHA (24/01/2015, 05:27) Like (10) Dislike (1) Reply
    All may seem well now for these people, then one day sudden destruction, God don't sleep. He just let things run a while to see how far some people will really go. Anyone ever heard " give goat enough rope to hang them self. all these people do, is make God laugh.
  • Sacrament (16/05/2017, 14:44) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Agriculture is very important mother earth can only sustain when being nurterd concret jungle na work it is man made and not natural dont letty grow you migth try to slow down somthing rain cant stop expertice botany studies of plant life coca marijuana herioine has and will always be where are the medical aspects resherch was limited create a plat form for distupution consumtion is societies popular rigth guide line are needed stthomas usvi has a stadium that badly need repares there is a demand we have connections james spriggette need parole thank you

  • Sacrament (16/05/2017, 23:20) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The usvi is a place with little ot no leadership free for all corruption is the norm being a survivor of violence scars to show phycical mental opportunities to live positive are provided seldom butt failer is readally granted ignorance hurts my tears have ment noting incarceration out of sigth they lock you up look this crooked vi system will never work they dont want it to imenentdomane just do as you please decades of work know what i am tired of whiping there spit of my face state property is a multie million dollar brand how long will we be abused be paticent time is ticking you all wil soon feel eqality is a thing of the past predjudice malice hate one day justice will be served
  • Sacrament (31/05/2017, 05:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Common everyday criminals no morals or dignity class or behavior studies show miami was developed from cocaine the most exsqizit arcatexture emaculate building structures money makes them hate get angry and violent doing for your self is a problem being independent and welloff their are weridos deadpresidents means where constanly in threat of violence these islands are rigged lionel roberts stadium needs a facelife. So our hip hop community can move down to stthomas winter brutal on the main land independent buissness this local goverment is crazy look at the financial crisis the dicesions of there most educated has led to total poverty rape starvation insomnia is a very established corparation time to expand globaly with millions of custmers our main office is over do old heads always try to mess us up evolution of the human race means purging of the vi goverment duppies bad mind haters its planitary there stone crazy a charrlette amalie high school drop out desecions i didnt regret mississippi one swing and got my pit now to mess with someones education is crazy somthings strange one day justice will be served donald trump is commander in chief real estate mongol.

  • Sacrament (10/06/2017, 10:51) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Music is an evangalistic movment earth is so vast in land how could hair be relivent modern times calls for modern looks my slogan can i help with your luggage to the st john ferry each bag has hell or hope now useing there apperence to do wickedness an manipulate the weak hearts who do you trust the promised land is overflowing with milk and honey not money freedom out of bondage slavery will be permenently abolished
    • radley112 (16/02/2022, 03:59) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. slope unblocked


Create a comment


Create a comment

Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.

Follow Us On

Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.