Ohio Man Arrested For Wire Fraud, Identity Theft For Scrap Copper Scheme In St. Croix

CHRISTIANSTED — An Ohio man was arrested Monday on wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in connection to a scrap copper salvage scheme in St. Croix.

Mitch G. Stevenson, 61, of Columbus, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of the Virgin Islands on those charges and was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith said.

After his arrest, Stevenson was brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Bowman of the Southern District of Ohio, who ordered that he be detained pending further judicial proceedings.

According to court documents, in the summer of 2023, Stevenson approached a Florida-based investor with a business proposition which involved the purchase of scrap electric and wire cable located at Port Hamilton on St. Croix.