Charlemagnes Plead Not Guilty to Federal Charges, Request Speedy Trial

The silence was almost deafening in the District Court of the Virgin Islands courtroom on St. Croix on Thursday morning. Faintly in the background, you could hear soft whispers between David Charlemagne, 50, and his wife, Sasha Charlemagne, 44, waiting for their arraignment to begin.

Attorney David Cattie entered a plea of not guilty and requested a speedy trial on behalf of his client, David Charlemagne. Renee Dowling also requested a not-guilty plea and speedy trial on behalf of Sasha Charlemagne’s attorney, Pamela Colon.

Originally, Sasha Charlemagne’s arraignment was scheduled for 2 p.m. but was canceled due to a scheduling error.

The defendants are facing charges for exploiting hurricane recovery efforts in a $4 million fraud scheme. The indictment, unveiled by U.S. Attorney Delia Smith, charged the Charlemagnes with government program fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.