St. Croix man surrenders in concrete supplier fraud case

Calford Charleswell of St. Croix gave himself up to detectives on Sunday evening, October 4, after an investigation into allegations that he defrauded a concrete supplier through a scheme involving a worthless check.

Charleswell presented himself at the Wilbur H. Francis Command police station at around 8:14 p.m., where officers from the Virgin Islands Police Department Economic Crimes Unit served him with an arrest warrant. He was charged with drawing and delivering worthless checks, participating in frauds on creditors, and obtaining money by false pretenses.

The investigation began nearly two years earlier, on November 18, 2024. Police determined that Charleswell had obtained 24 separate loads of pumped concrete from a local supplier by making false claims and paying with a check that did not clear. The supplier suffered losses totalling at least $6,024.

Unable to meet a $5,000 pre-trial bail requirement, Charleswell was held at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility overnight. The following morning, October 5, he appeared in Superior Court before Magistrate Judge Yolan C. Brow Ross for an Advice of Rights hearing in courtroom CR-103.

The court entered a formal charge of Fraudulent Conveyance of Property to Deceive under territorial law. After the hearing, a $505 cash bond was posted in his name. The Office of the Territorial Public Defender is representing him.