Christiansted, St. Croix - On October 5, 2021, Detectives from the Economic Crimes Unit received a complaint by Titan Service Gas Station’s owners about stolen checks.

The investigation revealed that Claudio Ponce unlawfully passed twelve stolen business checks totaling the amount of $13,750.00, which were written against the Farmmed Resources LLC and Ten Sleepless Knights Incorporation business accounts. The evidence showed that Ponce also forged the owners’ signatures on the checks.

On July 7, 2022, at 11:29 a.m., Detectives from the Economic Crimes Unit executed an arrest warrant at the John A. Bell Correctional Facility, where Claudio Ponce 55-years-old is being detained for an unrelated matter. Ponce was placed under arrest without incident, and charged for Obtaining Money by False Pretense, Grand Larceny, and Forgery.

The bail was set at $20,000 for the alleged crime. Unable to post bail Claudio Ponce was remanded back to the Bureau of Adult Corrections Facility pending, Advice of Rights Hearing scheduled for Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.

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All individuals listed as arrested or charged with a crime in this press release are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.