Unemployed mason caught with $170K cash hidden in toolbox
Paul Mercutius Jack, 49, a resident of Valley on the sister island was arrested and charged with Proceeds of Criminal Conduct.
When he appeared virtually before Senior Magistrate Tamia N. Richards on Monday, December 7, 2020, he was not made to plea and is currently on remand at Her Majesty’s Prison in Balsam Ghut.
Allegations
On December 4, 2020, about 7:55 am, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force executed a warrant on the defendant’s residence.
On arrival, police met the defendant at the front of his home working on a wooden toolbox.
During the execution of the warrant, the toolbox was searched, and upon removing the tools, the officers observed that the toolbox had a secret compartment to the bottom.
In the presence of the defendant, the secret compartment was removed, revealing three plastic bags containing large quantities of cash.
The cash was $178,440 in denominations of $5’s, $10s, $20s $50s and $100 bills.
When he was cautioned, he allegedly replied: “Officer, I don’t know whatever you see there, it is what it is.”
He was later taken to the Virgin Gorda Police Station where financial investigators questioned him on who the money belonged to, to which he took ownership.
He also participated in a cautioned interview, and when questioned, he allegedly said: “I am not going to answer that.”
He was subsequently charged with the offence before the court and is being represented by lawyer Ruthilia Maximea.
His matter was adjourned to January 27, 2021.
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36 Responses to “Unemployed mason caught with $170K cash hidden in toolbox”
Some these island people who we have working on our homes is no goodn
YOU ARE SO WRONG. I HAD TWO MEN FROM ST. VINCENT WORK ON MY HOME, NEVER MISSED ANYTHING OR ANYTHING WAS STOLEN FROM MY HOME. BEFORE I HIRED THE TWO MEN FROM ST. VINCENT, I HAD TWO LOCALS THAT I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH WORK ON MY HOME, I HAD TO TERMINATE THEIR SERVICES BECAUSE THEY WERE STEALING SUPPLIES FROM MY HOME AND SELLING FOR A PROFIT. YOUR OWN WILL $%^& YOU UP BIG TIME. SO PLEASE DON’T CAST STONES AT THE PEOPLE FROM OTHER CARIBBEAN NATIONS AND COVER FOR YOUR OWN.
If he had a crew of 4 (plus himself) that he made $ 100 a day off each, it would still take close to 2 years, and you’d have to wonder then which projects would he have been working on for the last couple of years. You’d also have to wonder whether it is good business to keep that kind of cash laying around in a tool box that could easily have been stolen, creating a serious cash flow problem. But, maybe there’s a rational explanation...
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Hope he was able to send something home
But they tell us from small. “ A fool and his money soon part “ Poor Tom