Martinez Sentenced to 10 Years

A federal judge Tuesday sentenced former V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez to 120 months in prison for his part in a kickback scheme involving a convicted felon-turned cybersecurity contractor, federal assistance funds and an attempted cover-up.

uesday’s hearing at the federal courthouse on St. Thomas was the first of three high-profile sentencings slated for this week. A sentencing hearing for Martinez’s codefendant, former V.I. Management and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal, is scheduled for Thursday. David Whitaker, the contractor who became an informant and cooperating witness against multiple high-ranking government officials and who later pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bribery, is set to be sentenced Wednesday.

A jury in December found Martinez and O’Neal guilty of honest services wire fraud, bribery concerning federally funded programs and money laundering conspiracy after prosecutors showed how Whitaker traded expensive gifts so that Martinez would approve invoices for work performed by Whitaker’s company, Mon Ethos Pro Support. After helping Whitaker secure a nearly $1.5 million VIPD contract funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the trio contrived to inflate invoices and use the proceeds to fund Martinez and O’Neal’s respective side businesses, Don Felito’s Cookshop and Java Grande.

The 10-year sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kearney Tuesday was longer than the 60-72 months sought by Martinez and his attorneys but well below the 292-365-month range outlined by federal sentencing guidelines. Alexandre Dempsey, a trial attorney for the U.S. Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, said Tuesday that 292 months — more than 24 years — was the ceiling for the government’s recommendation but that an “extreme period of incarceration” was warranted.