ST. CROIX MAN INDICTED ON FIREARM CHARGES

St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Ambrose Daniel, 44, of St. Croix, made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Daniel with felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and with unlawful possession of a machine gun.

According to court documents, on May 10, 2019, a federal search warrant was executed at Daniel’s residence in All for the Better, St. Croix. Federal agents recovered a Glock Model 21, .45 caliber pistol, 48 rounds of .45 caliber cartridges, and a machine gun device capable of converting a Glock pistol into a fully automatic firearm from Daniel’s residence. In 1997, Daniel was convicted of assault in the third degree in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. Said felony conviction prohibits Daniel from legally possessing a firearm. If convicted, Daniel faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Virgin Islands Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.

United States Attorney Smith reminds the public that an indictment is merely a charging document and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.