Federal Fugitive Paul Girard Apprehended on St. Croix without Incident

St. Croix, USVI –Federal defendant Paul Girard was apprehended early on Sunday morning on St. Croix by federal and local law enforcement agents. A team comprised of Deputy United States Marshals, DEA, FBI, ATF, and VIPD agents and officers located and arrested Girard without incident. Girard, who recently completed a federal sentence, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging conspiracy, Hobbs Act robberies, firearms violations, and money-laundering. During the pendency of the fugitive investigation, Crime Stoppers offered up to $ 20,000 for information leading to Girard’s arrest.

The Agencies involved in the investigation included the United States Marshal Service (USMS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections (VI BOC), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Crime Stoppers USVI. Federal authorities expressed appreciation for citizen cooperation and assistance in this matter.

United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that an indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.