Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Buney H. Chinnery found not guilty in USVI court of attempted human smuggling

Buney H. Chinnery found not guilty in USVI court of attempted human smuggling

The trial of a [British] Virgin Islands man caught by a Customs patrol boat after a high-speed chase in Coral Bay, St John, [US] Virgin Islands (USVI) yielded two guilty verdicts. But the defendant in the case, Buney H. Chinnery, was cleared of the more serious charge of trying to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States.

Chinnery and six others were taken into custody on the night of October 31, 2022, by Federal agents who were on board a Customs patrol boat that chased and stopped the vessel Chinnery was operating.

According to St Thomas Source, the trial began with jury selection on February 21, 2023, and lasted two-and-a-half days. Customs Officer Eric Viergutz gave a detailed account of the October 31 incident. Some of the passengers who made the trip from Tortola with Chinnery testified as well, including a Haitian immigrant who identified himself and Chinney from photos taken by the arresting officers.

Officer Viergutz said the vessel was seen operating after dark without navigation lights. A digital recording taken by the patrol officers showing their attempts to order the vessel they spotted to stop was played in court.

Those attempts included patrol officers turning on the flashing blue lights mounted on their boat.

Viergutz said the boat captain turned his face away from the console of his boat and made eye contact with one of the officers. Then he moved his hand towards the throttle and took a sharp turn away from the patrol boat.

Haitian man tried to enter USVI from Tortola

Under questioning by authorities following the initial arrest, two of the passengers were identified as Haitian nationals, two were identified as hailing from the Dominican Republic, and one was identified as a Venezuelan national. Three of the passengers identified Chinnery as the vessel’s captain and the one who transported them from Tortola to the United States.

At the time he was apprehended, court records said the defendant had more than $1,600 in U.S. currency.

One of the passengers who testified at trial described the journey that led to his trip from Tortola to the United States, with Chinnery driving the vessel. Witness Willy Joseph said he left his home in Haiti and made his way to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where he stayed for a while. In late October, he boarded a flight from the Dominican Republic to Tortola. Two days later, he boarded an empty van that made several stops, picking up passengers. The van came to a stop near a shoreline area, and the passengers got out.

Then, Joseph said, they met a man who led them to a motorboat. The witness identified that man as Chinnery after being shown a series of photos displayed to the jury.

Chief District Court Judge Robert Molloy turned the case over for deliberation on Friday, February 24, 2023. Jurors convicted Chinnery of failure to heave to, a maritime offense that makes it a crime to disobey a lawful order to stop a vessel.

He was also found guilty of making a false statement to a representative of the US government. One witness appearing at trial said Chinnery misspelled his name when asked to identify himself. The witness also told the court the defendant claimed to be from St John and was helping stranded boaters at the time they were captured.

Chief District Court Judge Robert Molloy turned the case involving Buney H. Chinnery over for deliberation on Friday, February 24, 2023, and jurors delivered their verdict later that day.



Not guilty of human smuggling

But in the Friday verdict, jurors found the defendant not guilty of attempting to bring illegal immigrants into the United States on three separate counts.

The maximum penalty for making false statements is five years in prison. Chinnery also faces the possibility of paying a fine and serving up to five years in prison for failing to heave to when he is sentenced.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×