An example of the National Hurricane Center’s updated operational forecast cone for the 2026 hurricane season, which will now show tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for inland as well as coastal areas, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Photo courtesy NOAA)NOAA’s National Hurricane Center recently shared updated forecast cone graphics for the 2026 hurricane season. The changes could help individuals better understand wind warnings, while reminding the public that hazards often extend well beyond the cone, including inland areas.
Changes to the NHC Forecast Cone NOAA announced the changes on March 24 as part of its 2026 hurricane season product updates.
“In 2026, the forecast cone will now include tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for inland areas. The additional information follows a successful experimental phase last year, which demonstrated that the improved forecast cone enabled inland communities to better understand and prepare for the danger posed by tropical cyclone winds,” according to NOAA.
The report from NOAA explains that the new operational cone will now include all land-based tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings in effect for the continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The updated graphic will also use one shade for the full five-day cone and include a legend symbol for places where a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning are both in effect.
Hurricane Specialist’s Perspective
The Source contacted Daniel Brown, branch chief of the Hurricane Specialist Unit at the NHC in Miami, Florida, who explained the forecast product updates in further detail. For individuals in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, one of the practical changes may simply be having more clarity. People will be able to see the entirety of the islands covered in a watch or warning, not only the coastal regions.
NOAA’s updated operational forecast cone for 2026 is designed to give the public a clearer picture of where tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings are in effect, while reminding users that hazards can still occur outside the cone. (Photo courtesy NOAA)
“Although in the past it appeared that the island of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were completely covered when it was under a watch or warning, the original cone graphics only depicted the coastal areas under the tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning,” Brown said.
“The new operational cone graphic will completely shade all of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and coastal and inland areas in the United States when a watch or warning is in effect,” Brown continued.
“This should help residents who live in areas away from the coast to better understand that they are under a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning and will enable inland communities to prepare for the danger posed by tropical cyclone winds,” he added.
The change to the cone this year follows an experimental phase in 2024 and 2025. In its 2026 products update, the NHC said feedback strongly supported adding inland watches and warnings, and social science research suggested the added information helps communicate wind risk without overcomplicating the graphic.
Brown said the improvements are also meant to correct one of the public’s most common misunderstandings about the cone.
“Users have often misinterpreted the cone as the area of potential impacts,” he acknowledged. “However, the cone does not provide any information on potential impacts from storm surge, wind, flooding, rainfall, or tornadoes. Instead, it depicts where the center of a tropical storm or hurricane could track. Adding inland watches and warnings takes the focus off the cone and forecast track and provides the public with risk-based information about the potential for tropical storm and hurricane-force winds through the watches and warnings.”
That message remains especially important in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where dangerous weather can affect the islands even when a storm’s center does not pass directly overhead. NOAA’s materials continue to emphasize that the cone shows the probable path of the storm center, not the size of the storm, and that hazardous conditions can occur outside the cone.
The NOAA update also said that the size of the cone will be a little smaller in 2026, about 4% to 8% smaller than in 2025, based on the latest five years of forecast errors.
A Separate Experimental Cone
In addition to the operational cone, which will be released this season, NOAA is also introducing a separate experimental cone graphic for 2026. Unlike the traditional cone, which is built around circles at each forecast point, the experimental version of the cone will use ellipses. NOAA said the new approach is meant to better capture uncertainty in both the speed and direction of a storm’s forecast path, and the experimental cone will include 90% of forecast track possibilities instead of the traditional 67% forecast error.
A new experimental forecast cone uses ellipses instead of circles to better reflect uncertainty in both the speed and direction of a storm’s projected path. NOAA says the new design is meant to show a broader range of likely track possibilities. (Photo courtesy NOAA)
“The experimental cone will use ellipses anchored at each NHC forecast point, allowing for the experimental cone to capture a range of possibilities for both the speed and direction of the tropical cyclone’s forecast path,” Brown stated. “Since the new experimental cone will include 90% of forecast track possibilities, the cone can now be described as the likely path of the storm, because the center is unlikely to move out of the cone.”
“The ellipses used to draw the experimental cone look at NHC’s historical track errors as how far left or right the forecast was from the verifying positions of the storm and how fast or slow the forecast of the storm was,” Brown explained.
Brown also reminded readers that both the operational cone and the experimental cone are not an all-in-one hazard map.
“The experimental cone should provide the public with a better understanding of the likely path of the storm, but they should also understand that neither the operational cone nor the experimental cone provides information about all possible hazards,” he cautioned.
Other Product Updates
While the cone changes may be one of the most helpful updates for Caribbean residents, NOAA’s 2026 package includes other updates as well. The NOAA press release announced new storm surge watches and warnings, a peak storm surge graphic, and a potential storm surge flooding map for Hawaii, expanding services already used for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Gulf, and the U.S. East Coast.
A new gray “X” on the Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook will indicate systems with near-zero chances of tropical development. (Photo courtesy NOAA)
The NHC’s update also highlights an Experimental Graphical Marine Wind Warning product that covers the Caribbean Sea and other tropical ocean basins. The update includes a rip current risk map introduced in 2025 that includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands when at least one tropical system is active. A change to the Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook will now show systems with near-zero development chances as a gray “X” instead of a yellow one.
Remain Prepared
Brown encouraged residents and visitors to heed the advice of the National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in addition to monitoring NHC cone updates. While the cone is being updated to communicate wind warnings more clearly, it is still only one part of the forecast. People in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will still need to pay close attention to other official graphics, watches, warnings, and forecasts for hazards.
“The most common misconception is that the cone itself does not indicate potential impacts, although the cone graphic does communicate wind risk via watches and warnings,” stated Brown. “NHC and the local NWS office in San Juan provide other text and graphical products that provide information on other hazards associated with a tropical cyclone, such as storm surge, rainfall, and rip currents.”
“The best advice is to pay attention to watches and warnings for storm surge, wind, and rainfall hazards. Understand the risk posed by each of those hazards and have a hurricane plan to keep you and your family safe. Individuals can always find the latest forecast on the NHC’s official website,” Brown concluded.
Local Weather Information
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, but severe weather preparedness is a year-round practice in the Virgin Islands. Residents can see the local weather forecast for the U.S. Virgin Islands which is regularly updated on the Source Weather Page. Individuals can also find helpful weather information, emergency preparedness, and alerts from the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency.
With a new voting season, new thoughts on the relevance of political parties are in the minds of voters. (Shutterstock image)
With election season fast approaching in 2026, the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands is inviting the public to consider the role of political parties in an election cycle. Organizers of the league’s annual meeting say the topic — “Are Political Parties Still Relevant in the USVI?” — will be examined from several perspectives, all designed to give voters food for thought as they make their way to the polls.
The annual meeting is scheduled to take place Saturday at 1 p.m. at the University of the Virgin Islands 13-D Innovation Center on the Orville E. Kean Campus on St. Thomas. Those who would like to join the discussion but cannot attend in person are encouraged to request a Zoom link at lwvusvi@gmail.com.
League President Gwen-Marie Moolenaar said the public portion of this year’s meeting was inspired by comments heard on a radio show. “The question is: If candidates think that parties aren’t relevant, does the public think so as well, and really what is the relevance of political parties?” Moolenaar said.
The question is posed during a four-year local election cycle where voters will choose a governor/lieutenant governor, delegate to Congress, lawmakers and members of the Boards of Elections and Education. Speakers chosen to help explore the topic include former Elections Supervisor John Abramson, representatives of the Democratic, Republican and Independent Citizens’ Movement parties; UVI Assistant Economics Professor Mark Wenner, and voters.
An unaffiliated candidate who ran and won a public office had been invited as well, the league president said. Their remarks will be followed by a question-and-answer session where meeting participants can weigh in.
“What does that mean for the way politics are run? What does it mean for the Legislature? Are we losing things by not having parties? Are we gaining things by not having parties?” Moolenaar said.
Organizers hope those who speak, listen and consider different views will leave the meeting ready to sort out the candidates and make the best choices.
Saturday’s session online and in person at UVI-St. Thomas comes at a time when the Pew Research Center — a prominent fact-finding group — points to national trends suggesting U.S. voters have split into three roughly equal voting blocks: Democratic, Republican, and Independent (although in the U.S., there is no recognized Independent political party).
The League of Women Voters has about 800 chapters nationwide. It was formed in the 1920s after U.S. women won the right to vote.
Grab your dancing shoes and come on out to Sing St. John’s annual spring “All Ah We” concerts held in Coral Bay on Friday and Cruz Bay on Saturday.
The first event is a dance party at Our Place in Coral Bay, featuring Quelbe Resurrection Band and the St. John Recovery Choir on Friday, April 17, from 5 to 8:30 p.m.; food and drinks will be on sale starting at 4 p.m.
Members of Sign St. John’s Ocama and Recovery Choir rehearse before a performance. (Photo by William Stelzer)
The Cruz Bay concert event will be held on Saturday, April 18, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. in Frank Powell Sr. Park; local vendors will offer food, drinks and refreshments for sale starting at 2 p.m. (There is something for everyone: Roti, conch, goat, fried fish, barbecue chicken and ribs with sides, hearty sandwiches, and fresh salads. Local juices, sangria, cocktails, soft drinks, and fracos will also be for sale.)
Quelbe Resurrection Band has teamed up with Sing St. John’s choirs for the last two years to present concerts that appeal to a wide range of audience members.
“The selection of songs, local as well as from abroad, is the really powerful thing about this program,” said Quelbe Resurrection Band cofounder Tommy “Ulysses” Pilgrim. “For instance, ‘Don’t Stop the Carnival’ is on the program with ‘Aquarius,’ (from the musical ‘Hair,’) and there are soul and reggae songs as well.”
The Quelbe Resurrection Band will perform in Coral Bay on April 17 and in Cruz Bay on April 18. (Submitted photo)
“Anyone would enjoy coming to sit and watch — or dance — at one or both of these programs,” agreed singer and guitarist Sidney Bell.
Both events include performances by Addis Smith of The Addis Revolution (whose album “Paradise” was on this year’s official Grammy ballot for Best Reggae Album), Quelbe Resurrection Band, St. John Recovery Choir, and The Echo People. Saturday’s event also features The Senior Singalong, Ocama Youth Choir, VI for Life Quadrille Dancers, and Bamboula dancer Raven Phillips.
Bamboula dancer Raven Phillips twirls at a Sing St. John performance. (Submitted photo)
For audience members who want to step into the mix, there will be audience mini-tutorials in quadrille and bamboula dancing from 5 – 6 p.m.
The last hour will be devoted to Quelbe Resurrection’s dance music, so do bring a chair if you need to sit out a song or two.
“The ‘All Ah We’ events are truly celebrations of community,” said Kristen Carmichael-Bowers, director of Sing St. John. “St. John is such a diverse place, and there are so many ways to express ourselves. Shared community experiences bring opportunities to develop and deepen connections.”
“It is a time of great uncertainty on the world stage,” she added, “but on our stage there is good will and a willingness to experience one another organically, in the moment.”
Both the Coral Bay and Cruz Bay events are free and open to the community and visitors.
To help fund concerts like these, Sing St. John is holding a “BIG 50/50 Raffle” with tickets sold in advance by Recovery Choir singers as well as during the events. The drawing will be done at the conclusion of the Saturday evening show, and the winner will be notified if not present.
Sing St. John is jointly supported by a grant from VI Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC, a federal agency. Support also comes from First Bank, VI Lottery, Love City Strong, the Kenny Chesney Foundation, community donors, and Martha and Dana Robes.
To learn more or to see samples of previous concerts, use this link: http://singstjohn.org.
University of the Virgin Islands men’s basketball standout Brandon Rasmussen has been selected to participate in the 2026 HBCU Live Xperience All-Star game, scheduled for April 18 in San Antonio, Texas.
UVI Forward Brandon Rasmussen (Submitted photo)
This inaugural event, hosted by the Austin Area Urban League at the Alamo Convocation Center, will showcase elite athletes from Historically Black Colleges and Universities within the NAIA.
Rasmussen will now suit up in his final game representing UVI, on a stage that features student-athletes from more than 20 black colleges across the country, including participants from UVI’s conference, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference. The St. Croix native will compete as a member of Team Nirenberg, under the guidance of Coach Jon Warren from Langston University.
The graduate forward played a pivotal role for the Buccaneers, starting in all 17 games this season, delivering averages of 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, while leading the team in scoring. Rasmussen consistently demonstrated his scoring ability, achieving double-digit points in nine games. Defensively, he excelled with an average of 1.6 steals per game, including notable performances with four steals each against Florida National, Keiser University, and Dillard. His most remarkable game was against the #9-ranked Keiser University, where he recorded 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Rasmussen’s outstanding contributions earned him the title of HBCUAC Newcomer of the Week for November 23-30, and he was also a recipient of the HBCUAC Association of Student Athletes Champion of Character Award, recognizing his exemplary leadership, integrity, and impact both on and off the court.
The All-Star game will be part of a weekend packed with activities, including an HBCU College and Career Fair and community service outreach initiatives. These events follow a well-known format that emphasizes larger NCAA Black colleges and universities, while the HBCU Live Xperience now provides a similar platform for smaller institutions.
Tip-off is scheduled at 3 p.m. with the women taking the floor first, followed by the men’s All-Star game featuring Rasmussen at 5:30 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on the Antler Sports Network.
About UVI Athletics
The University of the Virgin Islands is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and a member of the HBCU Athletic Conference, formerly the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. Entering the 2025-26 season, the Buccaneers will begin their 19th season of athletic competition. As the only Historically Black College or University in the Caribbean, UVI currently sponsors six sports, including men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. For more information on UVI Athletics, visit UVIAthletics.com.
The family of beloved Petra C. Lindqvist Collado, aka “Lucy,” is saddened to announce her passing on March 30. She was 83 years old.
Petra C. Lindqvist Collado
She was preceded in death by her daughters, Judy Lindqvist Willard and Lucy Lindqvist.
She is survived by her daughters, Daisy (Alex) Lindqvist Pelovitz and Debbie Lindqvist; grandchildren, Joshua (Lucie) Lindqvist, Jodi Hodges, Monique (Bill) Johnson, Jordan (Sara) Elevons, Aaron Pelovitz, Casey Vale Willard, Andrew Hoover, and Petra Hoover; great-grandchildren, James Hodges, Julian Lindqvist, Leo and Simon Johnson, and Felix Elevons; she is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews on both sides of the Felix, Concepcion and Lindqvist families; precious friends and other relatives too numerous to mention.
Funeral service will be held on April 21 at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Tributes and Eulogy will start at 9 am, with services starting at 10 am. Interment will be at the Kingshill Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to James Memorial Funeral Home, Inc.
AARP Virgin Islands joined advocates from across the nation today for AARP’s annual Lobby Day, bringing the voices and priorities of Virgin Islanders age 50 and older directly to federal lawmakers.
Representing the territory in Washington were AARP Virgin Islands State Director Troy De Chabert-Schuster and Volunteer State President Yvonne P. Watson Francis, who met with U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett to discuss issues critical to older adults, caregivers, and families in the territory.
Representing the territory in Washington were AARP Virgin Islands State Director Troy De Chabert-Schuster and Volunteer State President Yvonne P. Watson Francis, who met with U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett to discuss issues critical to older adults, caregivers, and families in the territory.
AARP Lobby Day is a nationwide advocacy effort that gives AARP leaders and volunteers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with members of Congress, highlight community-based concerns, and advocate for policies that strengthen health, financial security, and independence for older Americans.
During today’s meeting, AARP Virgin Islands emphasized several key legislative priorities, including:
• Protecting Social Security and Medicare, which remain the foundation of retirement security and access to health care for thousands of Virgin Islanders. Including the SSI Act – Supplemental Security Income for Virgin Islanders.
• Strengthening elder justice protections, including combating fraud, scams, and financial exploitation that disproportionately impact older adults.
• Supporting caregivers and family caregivers, who form the backbone of long-term care in the territory and often lack adequate financial, workplace, and policy support.
• Expanding access to affordable, accessible health care, including the Health Equity Act.
• Advancing age-friendly communities and housing, so residents can safely age in place with dignity.
“Lobby Day allows us to bring Virgin Islands–specific challenges and solutions directly into the conversation at the federal level,” said Troy De Chabert-Schuster, State Director of AARP Virgin Islands. “These policies affect real people—our parents, neighbors, veterans, caregivers, and workers—and it’s essential that Congress understands the unique needs of our communities.”
“AARP’s advocacy work is rooted in people, not politics,” said Yvonne P. Watson Francis, Volunteer State President of AARP Virgin Islands. “Our role is to ensure that the experiences of older Virgin Islanders and their families are reflected in the decisions that shape their futures.”
AARP Virgin Islands continues to work year-round with federal and territorial leaders to advance policies that promote dignity, security, and opportunity for Virgin Islanders as they age.
Shawn Pelle, aka “Pellie,” of Glynn, passed away on March 27. He was 38 years old.
Shawn Pelle
He was preceded by his brother Shane Pelle and cousin, Esworth Elliot Jr.
He is survived by his parents, Sherill G. Pelle and Edward Wellington Pelle Sr.; sisters, Lariesha Browne, Lashawna Pelle; brothers, Edward Pelle Jr., Devon Pelle, Lamar Pelle, Ky-Mani Goodings, Ray-Hiem Felix, Angelo Pelle; nieces, Shae Pelle, Sophia Pelle; nephew, Elijah Pelle; great niece, Alayna Goodings; aunts, Joycelyn Gwendolyn Rhymer, Gleneth E. Elliot, Carol B. Samuel, Geraldine Weeks, Jacqueline Benjamin, Linda Romain, Nadine Jenkins, Delacy Thomas, Nilda Lopez, Dorothy Pelle, Carol Bannis; uncles, Allan Rhymer, Esworth W. Elliot, Vanny Bubby Benjamin Jr., Rupert Wingy Pelle, John Esso Pelle; sisters-in-law, Leidy Pelle, Susana Perez- Pelle; godchild, Joan Claxton; best friend, Tyla JnBaptiste; special friends, Ralph Pryce, Lloyd Ferdinand, Akim Luke, Derrick Felix, Matudi, Reynolds; cousins and other relatives, Jelani, Jayden, Daisha & Aiden Hall, Latoya William, Dominique William, Shameka & Sapphire Joseph, Caleed & Cadeem Phipps, Janai & Ajai Benjamin, Journie Young, Elwin Elliott, Michael Reynolds, Keyon Pelle, Pelle Family and Samuel Family, Brookes Family; precious friends and other relatives too numerous to mention.
Funeral service will be held on April 20, 2026, at James Memorial Chapel. Viewing begins at 10 am, with service at 11 am. Interment will be held at Kingshill Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to James Memorial Funeral Home, Inc.
A federal judge received an update on the V.I. Water and Power Authority’s compliance with a consent decree related emissions at the St. Thomas power plant Wednesday on the videoconferencing platform Zoom. (Photo courtesy WAPA)
Attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department and V.I. Water and Power Authority heard Wednesday that a federal judge may order Finnish power company Wartsila to address emission control issues with seven generators at the Randolph Harley Power Plant on St. Thomas.
The suggestion came during a consent decree status conference held Wednesday morning virtually before U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kearney. The Justice Department launched a civil action against the utility for violating the federal Clean Air Act in 2014. The consent decree was approved in 2016 and amended in 2019. Though a federal judge agreed to terminate a similar settlement agreement for the St. Croix power plant two years ago, attorneys told Kearney Wednesday that maintenance problems at the Randolph Harley Power Plant continue to hinder the utility’s efforts to achieve and sustain compliance on St. Thomas.
“They’re doing their best to try to fix them,” said Myles Flint, of the U.S. Justice Department Environmental Enforcement Section, “and once they’re fixed and we can kind of get them on that glide path — where there’s a period of time if they’re in compliance, or substantially in compliance — then we would be able to proceed with termination.”
WAPA’s outside counsel, Robert Smith, said the plant’s lack of redundancy has prevented technicians from taking units offline to perform needed maintenance. The utility has also struggled to adapt the four newer Wartsila generators to run on liquefied propane following what WAPA Project Management Director Maxwell George described Wednesday as a “catastrophic failure” last year. Smith said all seven of the Wartsila generators are having issues with controls meant to limit the emission of nitrous oxides and carbon monoxide.
“So we’re put in this position repeatedly where we have to make the choice,” he said. “Do we continue to comply with that particular limitation, primarily related to the control of NOx emissions and the water injection … or do we turn out the lights?”
Unit 27, a legacy generator which was brought back online last month after Unit 15 failed amid repeated outages on St. Thomas and St. John, has no operational emission monitors, according to Smith.
“That’s something that’s required by the consent decree,” he said.
“Yeah, I can see that being important,” Kearney observed.
Kearney raised the subject of a court order after George and plant superintendent Kevin Harrigan said Wartsila hadn’t yet given them a timeline to fix the emission controls. When Kearney asked if it would be helpful to issue a court order directing Wartsila to be more responsive, Smith sounded skeptical.
“If it was directed to them, if we had jurisdiction over them, I think it would,” he said. “But we’ve been dealing with other vendors where we’ve told them we’re subject to EPA and DOJ requirements, and the lack of response has been just enormous.”
“Okay, well, we’re going to test that,” Kearney said. Later, Kearney said he’d give WAPA personnel time to “light a fire” under Wartsila and another contractor.
“Let’s give Mr. Harrigan a little chance to say, ‘a federal judge is looking at you now, Wartsila,’” Kearney said. “Let’s give him a chance to be a customer for a bit and start asking questions.”
Morris Anselmi and Kimberly McCollum — facing federal wire fraud charges stemming from the alleged theft of $500,000 in COVID-19 relief funds — have entered into pretrial diversion agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, though the terms of those deals remain under seal.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise George said the government has agreed to defer prosecution of Anselmi and Morris “for a specified period, the stay of trial and all trial proceedings until after the completion of the diversion period for each Defendant” in a motion for approval of the agreements filed Wednesday in District Court on St. Croix.
The agreement with McCollum was executed March 5 and with Anselmi on March 27, according to the motion that U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kearney granted Wednesday along with another requesting that the agreements be filed under seal.
Anselmi and McCollum were first indicted two years ago, but proceedings have moved at a snail’s pace because of health issues that prevented Anselmi’s return to the territory. His initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Emile Henderson III on March 9, held virtually, came days after U.S. Marshals formally processed Anselmi’s arrest in Texas, where his attorney said he is living at a medical center and awaiting a heart transplant.
Anselmi and McCollum are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and making false statements to the U.S. Small Business Administration and a financial institution in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the COVID-era federal Paycheck Protection Program to the tune of $500,000.
In February, Kearney set deadlines for Anselmi’s attorneys to cement the terms of a plea agreement with the government for his testimony in the separate but related federal fraud trial of Davidson and Sasha Charlemagne, currently set to begin July 17. The former subcontractors are accused of bilking millions under a federally funded contract while allegedly mismanaging disaster recovery materials along with former V.I. Housing Finance Authority executive Darin Richardson.
According to a grand jury indictment of the Charlemagnes and Richardson, Richardson awarded the warehousing contract to Anselmi and McCollum’s company, Island Services Group, while working as VIHFA’s chief operating officer. ISG subcontracted the work to the Charlemagnes’ company, D&S Trucking.
Richardson was found guilty of making material false statements to a federal agent, criminal conflict of interest, bank fraud, money laundering and making false statements on a loan application in March 2025 and was sentenced last month to three years in prison. He has since filed an appeal in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Over the course of Richardson’s two-week trial, prosecutors showed that he received a $107,000 loan from Anselmi and that he continued signing off on checks to ISG despite notifying VIHFA of a conflict of interest. While Anselmi did not testify in Richardson’s trial, the case against the Charlemagnes stalled while attorneys sparred over the admissibility of his testimony in that case.
During the first part of a court-ordered deposition last April, Anselmi reportedly acknowledged that he was testifying in hopes of receiving immunity, leading to confusion over whether his immunity agreement pertained to the PPP case, his involvement in the Charlemagnes’ alleged scheme, or both.
Senior District Judge Wilma Lewis later concluded that the agreement only covered the woodpile case and that “in the absence of a change in Anselmi’s potential criminal exposure which would permit him to fully answer Defendant’s cross-examination questions … without a legitimate fear of self-incrimination,” his testimony would be excluded from trial.
Since then, attorneys repeatedly told the court that they were close to reaching a plea deal in the PPP case. During a status conference in the Charlemagnes’ case in February, Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise George said a new immunity agreement “should be completed shortly,” allowing them to resume Anselmi’s deposition.
Following a separate status conference, Anselmi and McCollum’s attorneys told the court that they had reached a resolution with the government and were in the process of having the documents signed by all parties.
“This matter does not need to be scheduled for trial,” they wrote in a Feb. 27 filing.
On April 9, Kearney signed an order granting the government’s motion to compel Anselmi’s witness testimony in the Charlemagne case, directing that “no testimony or other information compelled under this Order, or any information directly or indirectly derived from such testimony or other information, may be used against Morris Anselmi in any criminal case, except for a prosecution for perjury, giving false statement, or otherwise failing to comply with this Order.”
A federal audit found the V.I. Housing Finance Authority lacks basic fraud risk management processes, placing nearly $2 billion in disaster recovery funds at risk, according to the Inspector General’s report. (Shutterstock image)
An audit by the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department found that the V.I. Housing Finance Authority, the semiautonomous agency tasked with managing $2 billion in federal disaster recovery and mitigation grants, “does not have fraud risk management processes to prevent and detect fraud risks.”
“We assessed VIHFA’s fraud risk management program maturity at or below the lowest desired goal state … because some anti-fraud activities were disorganized, uncontrolled, and reactive, while other anti-fraud activities expected in a fraud risk management program were absent altogether,” according to a summary in the report.
Five points highlighted by auditors included: the agency’s lack of an overall fraud management framework or entity dedicated to managing fraud risk; VIHFA’s failure to implement fraud-specific control activities; lack of monitoring or evaluation of the agency’s anti-fraud activities; lack of “setting an anti-fraud tone by management, even after” the indictment of former Chief Operating Officer Darin Richardson; and a lack of involvement from all levels in the organization in protecting disaster recovery and mitigation funds.
“Until VIHFA implements a fraud risk management framework, there remains a high risk that fraud may continue to occur or go undetected and jeopardize the integrity of its programs and compliance with federal requirements,” the report warned. “As a result, this will leave nearly $2 billion disaster recovery and mitigation funds at risk.”
VIHFA officials did not respond to emailed questions from the Source by Wednesday evening.
The audit zeroed in on several areas of concern, including a “culture” at the agency that “does not promote an anti-fraud environment.” The report cited a 2023 questionnaire conducted by VIHFA’s internal audit division, which found that employees had personal knowledge of fraud or suspected fraud, knew of instances where the agency’s management had overridden fraud controls, and were aware of “motives, pressures, and (or) incentives within the organization that would make someone susceptible to committing fraud.”
“Despite the gravity of the information received, these results were not acted upon to mitigate fraud risks when it was public knowledge fraud had potentially occurred at VIHFA,” according to the report. “Instead of conducting an investigation and sharing the alarming questionnaire results with VIHFA’s management team, especially the Executive Director, the Internal Audit Division shared the information exclusively with the Procurement Division and the Finance Unit directors, who are no longer employed by VIHFA and appear to have taken no action to elevate or address the matter.”
VIHFA officials who were interviewed by auditors said they had no knowledge of the questionnaire or its results, according to the report.
