Jahseen Simmonds, 23, pleaded guilty Monday in District Court on St. Croix to criminal charges filed in two separate cases, U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.
In the first case, Simmonds pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of prison contraband. As part of his plea, Simmonds admitted that on Aug. 30, 2013, Bureau of Corrections officers seized two shanks, or homemade knives, from inside his cell at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility.
Court records also show that on April 7, 2014, federal law enforcement officers found and seized a shank from under a mattress in Simmonds’ cell at Golden Grove.
In the second case, Simmonds pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm while under indictment. As part of his plea, Simmonds admitted that on Jan. 2, while under indictment, V.I. Police Department officers searched and seized from his waist area a loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun at the Ruby Rouss Housing Complex.
According to Sharpe, Simmonds faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9.
The case was investigated by BOC, VIPD, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
