Deshawn Gonsalves, 27, of St. Croix, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison and a $1,000 fine for illegal possession of a firearm, prosecutors said.
U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said Gonsalves was involved in a domestic dispute on Halloween, 2018. When police arrived, they said Gonsalves admitted to having a firearm and ammunition in his vehicle.
A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Glock .45 caliber handgun, two additional ammunition magazines, 77 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition, a ballistic vest, and approximately 98 grams of marijuana packaged in plastic baggies and vials — all found within 1,000 feet of the Eulalie Rivera Elementary School, police said.
Gonsalves was convicted Tuesday, however, for a single felony count of possession of a firearm. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis also imposed three years of supervised release after Gonsalves’ jail time.
He had been previously convicted in Superior Court of unauthorized possession of a firearm in 2014.
The case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
