More charges brought against Charlemagnes in fraud case

ST. CROIX — Federal prosecutors on Tuesday filed a superseding indictment in the case against Davidson and Sasha Charlemagne and Darin Richardson, tacking on nine counts of making false claims upon the United States by the Charlemagnes.

The original indictment was filed on June 13. In it, prosecutors alleged that the Charlemagnes engaged in a yearslong scheme through which they reaped millions in federal dollars while mismanaging lumber meant for disaster recovery projects. The nine charges added in the superseding indictment filed this week correspond to nine timesheets the Charlemagnes submitted to the Housing Finance Authority, “knowing that said claims were false, fictitious and fraudulent.”

From July 20, 2021 to Oct. 16, 2023, Sasha Charlemagne indicated she worked at one of the woodpiles for eight hours on 23 different days “when in fact, and in truth, Sasha Charlemagne was not physically present in the U.S. Virgin Islands,” according to the amended indictment. Davidson Charlemagne was initially charged with government program fraud and wire fraud, and both Charlemagnes were charged with money laundering conspiracy. Simultaneously, Richardson was charged with criminal conflict of interest and making material false statements. According to the indictment, Richardson awarded the lumber management contract to Island Services Group, who in turn subcontracted the work to Davidson Charlemagne’s company, D&S Trucking, in 2021.