A mother and son have pleaded guilty under a plea agreement to conspiracy to import cocaine in a scheme that also allegedly involved the former premier of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Andrew Fahie.
As part of Oleanvine Pickering Maynard, 61, plea agreement, she has agreed to “cooperate fully” with prosecutors as Fahie’s jury trial is scheduled to begin on July 17.
She has also agreed to many of the acts that were alleged in the initial affidavit, including conversations between herself and a confidential source who she and her co-defendants believed was a member of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel.
Maynard, the former BVI Ports Authority managing director along with her son, 32-year-old Kadeem Stephan Maynard, and Fahie faced one count each of conspiracy to import a controlled substance, conspiracy to engage in money laundering and attempted money laundering.
In addition, the former port executive and Fahie face an additional count of “interstate and foreign travel in aid of racketeering.”
In April last year, Fahie was detained in Florida by US agents posing as cocaine traffickers from a Mexican drug cartel.
According to the charges filed, he agreed to a US$700,000 payment to allow traffickers to use BVI ports with an undercover informant.
The three accused have been charged with conspiracy to import more than 11 pounds of cocaine into the US and conspiring to commit money laundering.
In the criminal complaint filed in a US federal court, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) said the investigation was launched in October based on work carried out by a confidential informant.
Court officials said that by accepting the plea agreement, the Maynards could avoid possible life sentences in prison.
“The defendant (Kadeem) agrees to plead guilty to Count 1 of the superseding indictment, which charges the defendant with conspiracy to import cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 963 and 952(a),” according to the plea agreement.
Earlier this week, the prosecutors removed charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and attempted money laundering from the indictment the Maynards faced and agreed to recommend leniency at sentencing.
The agreement, however, hinges greatly on his full cooperation with prosecutors in their case against the former premier.
According to the plea agreement, prosecutors determined that Kadeem was a “minor participant” in the criminal activity, and therefore should receive a two-level reduction at sentencing.
He further agreed to forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, any proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such offence, and any property used, or intended to be used, in any manner or part, to commit, or to facilitate the commission of, such offence, pursuant to Title 21, United States Code, Section 853.
The document further advised that the court may also impose a statutory maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment, followed by a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
The Maynards each face “a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years” unless the judge determines they are “safety valve eligible”, as stated in their plea agreements.
They are now expected to be sentenced on August 21.
CMC/
