Appearing before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller in District Court, Akeem Julien, 25, of St. Thomas, entered a guilty plea to the charge of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
According to U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, court documents show that on April 8, 2020, while patrolling the Hospital Ground neighborhood in St. Thomas after a spate of shootings, Virgin Islands Police Department officers pursued a group of individuals, including Julien, after the group ran when officers approached.
Surveillance video captured Julien and the others climbing over a railing and onto a patio with two black bags. The surveillance video shows Julien in possession of one of the bags which he then hands to another individual. The surveillance video further shows the other individual leave the patio with two bags, heading in one direction, while Julien and others leave in the opposite direction. The bag Julien possessed contained an AK-47 firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Julien’s DNA was recovered from the AK-47 firearm.
The offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of up to five years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. Sentencing has not been scheduled.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Virgin Islands Police Department. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Virgin Islands.
