Longtime federal prosecutor Ronald W. Sharpe has been tapped as the interim U.S. Attorney for the Virgin Islands and will hold the position until a new U.S. attorney has been appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Sharpe, who has been the territory’s first assistant U.S. attorney since last November, will replace Paul Murphy, whose term as acting U.S. attorney wraps up on Monday.
Once Sharpe steps into the position, Murphy will take over the first assistant U.S. attorney slot — the same position he held before former U.S. Attorney Anthony Jenkins retired last October.
Interim U.S. attorneys are appointed by the territory’s presiding U.S. District Court judge, while acting U.S. attorneys are presidentially appointed, Murphy explained.
Sharpe has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia since 1995 and has served within various sections of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including the Homicide section and most recently the Fraud and Public Corruption section, according to a U.S. Justice Department press release.
Sharpe graduated from Tulane University with a bachelor of science degree in 1987 and from Stanford Law School in 1991.
“We are very fortunate indeed to have an experienced, well-regarded attorney like Ronald in this position,” Murphy said in a statement Friday.
Sharpe will oversee the operations of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Virgin Islands, which includes branches on St. Thomas and St. Croix.
Murphy said over the phone Friday that the switch would not affect the agency’s caseload.
"The great thing about the U.S. government is that no matter who’s in what position, there’s always continuity," he said.
