A US Virgin Islands On line casino Fee employee whose job was to advise on accountable playing was sentenced Tuesday to 44 months in jail for embezzling fee funds.
Stephanie Barnes, middle, heading right into a St Croix courtroom in December 2001. Later that month, a jury unanimously discovered her responsible of theft and tax evasion. (Picture: The Virgin Islands Consortium)
Stephanie Barnes, 64, was employed in 2015 as a contractor by fee president Violet Anne Golden because the regulator’s first “licensed playing specialist,” regardless of having no expertise within the area. Subsequently, Barnes and Golden went to city with fee funds, splurging on costly leisure and clothes, in line with prosecutors.
This included chartering a aircraft to the St. Kitts Music Competition, for which they bought VIP passes. The pair traveled to casino-related conferences whereas having fun with “luxurious resort stays” and costly meals, and even squeezed in a visit to Disney World in Florida. Additionally they caught Hamilton on Broadway, in line with the court docket.
The U.S. Virgin Islands on line casino market is small, with simply two licensed casinos: Divi Carina Bay Resort & On line casino and On line casino at Lodge Caravelle, each on St. Croix. paperwork.
Profligate Spending
Barnes’ and Goldens’ infractions had been uncovered in 2018 following an investigation by Virgin Island’s Inspector Common, and the findings had been referred to the FBI. The 2 had been indicted on July 11, 2019, and arrested every week later.
Barnes denied prices of conspiracy to commit theft from applications receiving federal funds, receipt of presidency property, and submitting false tax returns. She claimed she was innocently caught up in a tradition of wasteful spending instigated by her boss, Golden.
Golden pleaded responsible in January 2020 to misappropriating $295,503 of presidency funds. Due to her plea deal, she was sentenced to a 24-month jail time period and was launched in September 2021. When Barnes went to trial in December that yr, Golden was the prosecution’s star witness.
$600K Wage Prime-Up
On Dec. 23, 2001, after two days of deliberations, a District Court docket jury unanimously discovered Barnes responsible of all three prices.
The tax evasion cost associated to Barnes’ reported earnings to the IRS of $35,894 in 2016, regardless of realizing she had obtained way more in money and perks from the on line casino fee’s coffers. Investigators decided that she obtained wage and advantages totaling $600K in roughly three years because of her association with Golden.
District Court docket Chief Choose Robert Molloy ordered the defendant to pay restitution of $247,490 and to serve three years of supervised launch as soon as her sentence ends.
