Author Archives: doj-admin

Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea and 38 Attorneys General Urge Congress to Preserve Access to Health Care for 9/11 Responders and Survivors

U.S. Virgin Islands – V.I. Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea today joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general in urging Congress to take immediate action to address the impending funding crisis threatening the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), a lifeline for more than 135,000 first responders, survivors, and families impacted by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In a letter to congressional leadership, Attorney General Rhea and the coalition called for urgent legislative action to ensure the long-term financial stability of the WTCHP, which is projected to face a devastating funding shortfall as early as next year.

Partnership with Emory University Brings Sexual Assault/Rape Kit training to V.I. Nurses

U.S. Virgin Islands – V.I. Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea announced today that the Virgin Islands Department of Justice (DOJ), through the St. Thomas/ St. John DOJ Criminal Division, has partnered with Emory University under the Special Assistance Funding (SAFE) Program grant to establish a network of trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This initiative will enable nurses to conduct forensic medical exams in sexual assault cases and support the development of a coordinated community Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).

V.I. Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea Joins Bipartisan Letter to Congress Opposing Budget Amendment Prohibiting States from Enforcing Artificial Intelligence Regulations

U.S. Virgin Islands – V.I. Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea today joined Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, and Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark and 35 other state attorneys general in a bipartisan letter to Congress voicing opposition to a sweeping and dangerous U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee amendment to the budget reconciliation bill that imposes a 10-year prohibition on states from enforcing any state law or regulation addressing artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems.

Statement from AG Gordon C. Rhea Regarding the Dismissal of Charges in the 2022 Homicides of Stacie Schjang and Arnold Jarvis Jr.

Recent media reports have raised questions about the Virgin Islands Department of Justice’s recent decision to move for the dismissal, without prejudice, of criminal charges against Joshawn Ayala and Anthony Schneider in connection with the 2022 homicides of Stacie Schjang and Arnold Jarvis Jr.