White resigns as commissioner following federal court appearance

Calvert White resigned as Commissioner of Sports, Parks, and Recreation following his initial appearance in U.S. District Court Friday, after months of speculation about his involvement in a federal investigation into public corruption in the Virgin Islands government.

White was indicted along with co-defendant Benjamin Hendricks, who owns A Clean Environment, a company that has been doing cleaning and maintenance for a variety of government offices for years. Public records show that Hendricks's company has received $1.9 million in payments from the V.I. government since 2021. White received more than $154,000 in compensation in the 2024 fiscal year, according to public records.

Former V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez and former Office of Management and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal also appeared in court on St. Thomas Friday, and pleaded not guilty to charges in a separate bribery case. White and Hendricks both appeared in court in shackles, and are both charged with the same two crimes, honest services wire fraud, and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. They pleaded not guilty to all charges, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Teague ordered them to be released after signing a $10,000 unsecured bond.