A former US Virgin Islands cabinet official has been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of rigging a government contract in exchange for a bribe.

Calvert White, the former Commissioner of the Department of Sports, Parks, and Recreation (SP&R), was sentenced on Monday to five years in prison for soliciting and accepting bribes tied to a US$1.43 million government contract. 

His co-conspirator, Benjamin Hendricks, received a 68-month prison sentence for his role in the scheme.

Federal prosecutors said White abused his public office by manipulating the government bidding process in exchange for illegal payments from a contractor seeking to secure a lucrative deal.

“Calvert White rigged a public bid process in exchange for a bribe,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the US Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “He abused the trust of those who live in the community he was supposed to serve.”

US Attorney Adam Sleeper for the District of the Virgin Islands said the convictions send a clear message that corruption by public officials will not be tolerated.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, White solicited and accepted a bribe from government contractor David Whitaker, using Hendricks as an intermediary to facilitate the payments. 

The scheme lasted about seven months, beginning in December 2023 and continuing until June 2024, when the FBI approached the defendants.

Prosecutors said White demanded the bribe in exchange for helping Whitaker secure a contract to install security cameras at SP&R facilities across the territory. 

In furtherance of the scheme, White provided Whitaker with confidential bid information and took official actions to influence the awarding of the contract.

During the bidding process, Whitaker sent bribe payments to a bank account controlled by Hendricks, who then delivered the funds to White, according to investigators.

A jury convicted both White and Hendricks of honest services wire fraud and bribery involving programs receiving federal funds.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s San Juan Field Office, St Thomas Resident Agency, and prosecuted by the US Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section.

Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge Claudia Dubravetz said the case highlights the damage corruption causes to public trust.

“When that trust is violated through acts of corruption, it undermines confidence in government and harms the communities it is meant to serve,” she said.