Veteran police officer Carlton Charleswell was arrested this week after a federal grand jury handed down a two-count indictment charging him with obstruction of justice and trying to influence a grand juror.
Charleswell has already appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Geoffrey Barnard for an advice of rights hearing and has been held pending a detention hearing and arraignment scheduled for Sept. 23, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The indictment stemmed from a months-long probe into corruption within the V.I. Police Department, the release said. The investigation was conducted by a joint local and federal task force consisting of the VIPD, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The first count of the indictment charges Charleswell with trying to influence, intimidate and impede a member of the grand jury by asking, and making false statements to the juror, about a grand jury proceeding in a VIPD investigation, according to the news release.
Charleswell is also charged with trying to persuade another VIPD officer to falsify documents relating to an investigation, the release said.
He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the first count and up to 20 years in prison and another $250,000 fine for the second count.
The joint probe has also led to the recent indictment of VIPD Officer Jerome Blyden, VIPD Captain Enrique Saldana and VIPD Sergeant George Green Jr.
