Category Archives: Press Release

AG Nominee Rhea Pledges Cooperation with Public Defender’s Request for DOJ Client and Case Details Involving Whitaker Entities

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.

Bipartisan coalition of attorneys general call for Congress to require surgeon general warning on social media platforms

U.S. Virgin Islands – In a letter to Congress, V.I. Attorney General Nominee Gordon C. Rhea and 41 other attorneys general called on lawmakers to pass legislation requiring a U.S. surgeon general warning on all algorithm-driven social media platforms. The letter comes amidst growing scrutiny of social media companies for their role in generational harm to young people’s mental health.

VIDOJ Agents arrest sex offender Ivan J. Chinnery for failure to comply with registration requirements

U.S. Virgin Islands – V.I. Attorney General Ariel Smith has announced that 63-year-old Ivan J. Chinnery, a registered sex offender, was arrested by V.I. Dept. of Justice (VIDOJ) Special Agents (SID), and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) unit on St. Thomas. Chinnery was arrested for failure to comply with registration requirements for sex offenders in the Virgin Islands.

VIDOJ Agents arrest sex offender Robert S. Bastian for failure to comply with registration requirements

U.S. Virgin Islands – V.I. Attorney General Ariel Smith has announced that 65-year-old Robert S. Bastian, a registered sex offender, was arrested by V.I. Dept. of Justice (VIDOJ) Special Agents (SID), and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) unit on St. Thomas. Bastian was arrested for failure to comply with registration requirements for sex offenders in the Virgin Islands.