Three USVI Women Sentenced in L.A.-to-St. Thomas Weed Cash Scheme

Three U.S. Virgin Islands women are headed to prison after admitting their roles in a cross-country money laundering conspiracy that funneled cash from massive marijuana shipments shipped from Los Angeles to St. Thomas. Demincia Dore, 31, of St. Thomas; Kishma Weeks, 27, of St. Croix; and Tamisha McBean, 32, of St. Thomas—all cuffed by federal justice—were sentenced last week for their parts in the criminal pipeline.

On December 19, 2016, District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez handed down prison terms: Dore got eight months, McBean 12 months, and Weeks 18 months. Each will serve three years of supervised release, complete 300 hours of community service, and pay a $100 special assessment. They were also ordered to forfeit $351,000 in drug proceeds—jointly and severally—tied to the sale of marijuana smuggled in bulk from the West Coast.

The scheme ran from July 2012 to December 2013, according to plea agreements filed in federal court. The women were part of a drug trafficking organization that packed at least 700 kilograms—but less than 1,000 kilograms—of marijuana into cans labeled as Chow Mein. The cans were stuffed into barrels and shipped via trucking company from Los Angeles to St. Thomas, bypassing detection long enough to move product and cash.

Once the weed sold, the women didn’t stash the cash under mattresses—they banked it. Dore, Weeks, and McBean deposited, or directed others to deposit, more than $100,000 in proceeds into accounts in St. Thomas. Then, they wired the dirty money to co-conspirators on the U.S. mainland, cleaning it through electronic transfers and layering the trail.

Dore pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy on June 30, 2016. Weeks and McBean followed on July 6, 2016, admitting their roles in Count 27 of the Superseding Indictment. Their cases are part of a broader takedown: Clarence Griffin, Robert Brown, and Trevor Dolphin—all tied to the drug trafficking arm—were sentenced in 2015 and 2016. Felix, also charged with money laundering conspiracy, was sentenced October 6, 2016. Larry Thompson copped to misprision of felony and was sentenced August 25, 2016.

The investigation was a joint hammer job by the DEA and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith led the prosecution. The message from federal authorities is clear: whether you’re moving weed in noodle cans or wiring cash across time zones, the feds are watching—and the prison doors swing wide for those who think island waters shield them from mainland law.