Former Police Commissioner and Office Director Charged with Bribery Scheme

ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – In a shocking turn of events, former police commissioner Ray Martinez, 56, and former director of the Virgin Islands Office of Management and Budget Jenifer O’Neal, 53, have been charged with participating in a bribery and money laundering conspiracy.

According to court documents, Martinez and O’Neal accepted bribes from a then-government contractor, David Whitaker. The indictment alleges that the scheme began in at least November 2022 and continued until June 2024, with O’Neal joining the scheme no later than January 2024.

The defendants allegedly conspired to launder proceeds from the bribery scheme through a monetary transaction to pay rent on O’Neal’s coffee shop. In exchange for the bribes paid by the government contractor, Martinez and O’Neal, among other official acts, allegedly agreed to approve fraudulently inflated invoices and assist with obtaining payment for those invoices by the Virgin Islands to Whitaker.

Martinez also allegedly agreed to assist Whitaker in obtaining a $1.48 million contract to provide services to the Virgin Islands Police Department in October 2023. Additionally, after the investigation was originally made public, Martinez allegedly obstructed the investigation by encouraging Whitaker to destroy evidence associated with Martinez’s criminal activity and produced falsified documents in response to a subpoena.

Martinez and O’Neal are each charged with five counts of honest services wire fraud, which each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; one count of federal program bribery, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and one count of money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Martinez is also charged with two counts of obstruction of justice, which each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, U.S. Attorney Delia Smith for the District of the Virgin Islands, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI San Juan Field Office, St. Thomas Resident Agency is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Alexandre Dempsey and Steve Loew of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Conley for the District of the Virgin Islands are prosecuting the case.

It is essential to note that an indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Public Corruption

Jose Lopez Jr., RICO Charge, California 2023

Mar 29, 2017

Public Corruption

Pat Somerset Deportation Hearing, New York, 1922

Nov 14, 1922

Public Corruption

James Todt, Cash Bribery and Kickbacks, Ohio 2022

Jun 2, 2016

Public Corruption

C. Schaefer Accused of Bribery, Philadelphia PA, 1920

Jan 7, 1920