Category Archives: Press Release

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.

Final Judgement Filed For Rosemary Sauter-Frett

U.S. Virgin Islands – V.I. Attorney General Ariel M. Smith announces that on October 25, 2023, a conviction and judgment was entered against Rosemary-Sauter Frett, a real estate agent charged with embezzling millions of dollars from clients between 2008-2010 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sauter-Frett was sentenced in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands in the St. Thomas district.