U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—Governor Albert Bryan Jr. on Monday held a press conference to discuss recent developments within the Virgin Islands Government, emphasizing administrative actions taken in response to ongoing federal investigations.
Governor Bryan announced that he had requested the resignations of Virgin Islands Police Commissioner Ray Martinez and Office of Management and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal.
Both officials, who have not been criminally indicted or charged with any crime, were subjects of requests for information in a federal probe.
Given the significance of their roles, Governor Bryan made the decision based on the necessity of maintaining the utmost integrity within the government.
“When I campaigned for office in 2018, I pledged to restore trust in our government,” said Governor Bryan. “The recent public allegations are concerning and threaten to undermine the trust we’ve worked diligently to establish. Although Mr. Martinez and Ms. O’Neal have served with dedication, the nature of their positions requires us to act decisively to preserve the integrity of our government.”
Attorney General Gordon Rhea, who attended the press conference, highlighted his commitment to the investigation, stating, “We are in full cooperation with federal authorities to ensure compliance and integrity. Once we have clarified the situation, I assure you that changes will be implemented vigorously if needed.”
The Governor also announced that his administration is taking proactive steps to strengthen ethical governance. “This past Monday, we began developing an ethics and conflict of interest training program, which is now more crucial than ever. It is being piloted within the Division of Personnel and will soon extend to all government agencies,” Governor Bryan explained.
To further support law enforcement efforts, Governor Bryan has committed an additional one-time allotment of $1 million to aid the development of the white-collar crime unit within the Department of Justice. “We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards public corruption and will continue to educate our employees on proper conduct in positions of trust,” the Governor affirmed.
Governor Bryan concluded, “While some will unfortunately revel in these allegations for any number of reasons, they reflect on all of us in the Virgin Islands, not just the Bryan-Roach Administration. However, we remain focused on managing our affairs with competency and integrity, demonstrating to federal partners and our community that we are worthy, as Virgin Islanders, of the resources provided to us.”
The Bryan-Roach Administration is investing in the Territory’s people, infrastructure, and future through transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government, and ensuring that recovery projects are completed as quickly as possible. Visit transparency.vi.gov
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