Calvert White Challenges Motion to Classify Fraud Case as Complex

Defense attorneys argue against extended deadlines, citing concerns over due process and the government's preparedness in the Mon Ethos fraud case.

The former commissioner of the V.I. Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation is pushing back against the government's attempt to classify the case against him as complex. As they indicated they would do during the first court appearance of Calvert White, Benjamin Hendricks, Ray Martinez and Jenifer O'Neal, the sheer volume of discovery material has prompted prosecutors to seek to certify the case as “complex”, which they did in a motion filed with the court on January 16. “It would be extraordinarily difficult for the United States to properly organize, categorize, and produce one (1) set of complete discovery within the standard time allotted,” the motion says. “It would equally be impossible for the defense to review the records for the purpose of preparing for trial within the normal timeframe for a speedy trial,” government lawyers argued.