Eugene Monsanto Jr. was sentenced to 17-months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced Thursday.
District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez also sentenced the 41-year-old Monsanto to pay a $100 special assessment and to complete 300 hours of community service.
On Oct. 5, Monsanto pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the plea agreement, on May 30, Monsanto was aboard M/V Sundance Queen, a ferry traveling from the British Virgin Islands to St. Thomas. He presented himself for inspection at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s St. John port of entry.
A CBP officer conducted a routine inspection and found a fully loaded .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver inside of Monsanto’s carryon.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim L. Chisholm.