ST. THOMAS — On Wednesday, May 13, 2015, District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced Joseph Roberts, Jr., 27, to a total of 39 months in prison, 32 for possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon and seven for possession of a firearm within a school zone, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced. Judge Gomez also sentenced Roberts to serve three years of supervised release.
Roberts was arrested on October 16, 2014 by officers of the Virgin Islands Police Department after he was found in possession of a firearm in the area of the Julius E. Sprauve Elementary School on St. John. Court records show that in August 2010, Roberts was convicted of unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, and reckless endangerment. On January 26, 2015, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm within a school zone.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosivesand the Virgin Islands Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
