U.S. Virgin Islands – In a letter to Chief Territorial Public Defender Julie S. Todman, Esq., today, V.I. Attorney General Nominee Gordon C. Rhea expressed his willingness to cooperate with her request for the V.I. Department of Justice (DOJ) to identify the clients connected to the devices handed over to Mon Ethos by the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD). He also agreed to provide a list of prosecutions from 2022 to the present in which the Whitaker Entities offered support, assistance, or bailment services. The AG Nominee’s letter was sent today in response to Chief Todman’s request dated August 19, 2024, seeking this information.
AG Nominee Rhea stated that any defendant involved in a case connected to any of David Whitaker’s entities has the right to be informed of that connection. “A Defendant facing prosecution in a case in which any of David Whitaker’s entities received devices related to that case is entitled to be informed of that fact. My office stands ready to comply with its legal and ethical duties concerning this obligation,” he said.
He explained that while the process will begin immediately, it will take more than 14 days since the devices were sent to Whitaker’s company by the VIPD, not the DOJ. After requesting and obtaining the necessary details from VIPD, they will need to identify which suspects were charged, gather case numbers, and confirm the attorneys representing each defendant.
“I assure you that we will initiate this process immediately and diligently pursue it. When it will be completed, however, depends on how quickly the VIPD gathers the necessary information, said AG Nominee Rhea.
He suggested that Chief Todman provide a list of her defendants, including case numbers, scheduled for trial in September and October. He will then request that the VIPD promptly inform him of any connections between Whitaker and those cases.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2024
Sandra Goomansingh
Media Relations Director
(340) 774-5666 ext. 10105
Email: sandra.goomansingh@doj.vi.gov