Two brothers, who are originally from this territory, were given a year in prison for smuggling six undocumented immigrants into the United States.
King Leonard, 24, of Tortola, and Michael Leonard, 21, of Pennsylvania, were sentenced by United States District Judge Curtis V. Gomez on July 25.
In addition to the 12-month prison sentence, the duo were ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, serve three years of supervised release, and perform 350 hours of community service.
The brothers recently pleaded guilty to “bringing into and harbouring illegal aliens” in the US, according to the US Department of Justice website.
On Nov. 11, 2016, they were caught attempting to smuggle six individuals from the Dominican Republic into the US onboard the M/V Sole Mio.
The two were driving the boat in waters between St. Thomas and St. John when they were stopped by US Customs and Border Protection agents.
The case was also investigated by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant US Attorney David White prosecuted the matter.