VI man pleads guilty to firearm possession in USVI
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St Thomas, USVI— A citizen of the Virgin Islands, who was involved in a vehicular accident in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands (USVI) in March 2019 was found with an illegal firearm and has since pleaded guilty to the offence.
Ashan Westcott, 28, of Tortola, pleaded guilty before District Judge Curtis V. Gomez to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced Tuesday, June 11, 2019.
Firearm was discovered following vehicular accident
According to the plea agreement, on March 2, 2019, the [US] Virgin Islands Police Department responded to a motorcycle and vehicle accident on Turpentine Run Road, St Thomas. Westcott, who was injured in the accident, was identified as the driver of the motorcycle. In response to an EMT’s request to locate the defendant’s ID, a VIPD officer looked in a backpack Westcott had been wearing at the time of the accident. While looking for the ID, the officer found a loaded Glock Model 23, .40 caliber handgun in Westcott’s backpack.
Westcott is a citizen of Tortola and has a passport issued by the United Kingdom. He is not a citizen or national of the United States and, when found on March 2, 2019, had not applied for status in the United States.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 10, 2019.
This case was investigated by the [US] Virgin Islands Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and US Customs and Border Protection, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith J. Edwards.
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