Government House and Mon Ethos owner in dispute over contract cancellation and unpaid bills | News

Mon Ethos’ current owner, Curtis Jones, responded with a statement distancing the company from Whitaker, who was ordered by a judge to cede all control of Mon Ethos.

“I want to put the Virgin Islands government on notice that I have never committed a crime and that none of my businesses will ever engage in illegal activity. I am not lost on the irony that MEPSVI is being unfairly targeted for fraud by a government whose officials are accused of crimes with alarming frequency,” Jones wrote.

Whitaker pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court under a deal with federal prosecutors, admitting to crimes that include bribing a VI police officer who was identified only as “Public Official One.”

Former Virgin Islands Police Commissioner Ray Martinez and former Office of Management and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal resigned in June amid reports of a federal investigation into government contracts with Mon Ethos. Neither had been charged in the case as of Monday.

In addition to the $1.49 million contract with the VI police signed in October 2023, Mon Ethos had a $1.92 million contract to install 929 cameras at 11 St. Croix schools and a $1.43 million contract with the sports, parks and recreation department.

On Friday, Property and Procurement Commissioner Lisa Alejandro informed Jones that the three agreements between Mon Ethos and the government had been canceled.

“The government has determined that it is in its best interest to terminate the associated contracts and award them to Mon Ethos Pro Support, LLC. Currently, the matter is ongoing and, as such, the government is evaluating its options,” Alejandro said in an email Monday, responding to questions from the Daily News.

At a news conference in June, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. continued to publicly support the company’s work for the government and said Martinez had praised its help in analyzing digital evidence in criminal investigations.

Motta said Monday that Bryan was pleased “with the information the governor received in June.”

Before Whitaker’s plea deal was made public, Motta said, “the governor had no knowledge of what this investigation entailed, or what this person had done.”

Whitaker signed the plea deal with prosecutors in March, but that information wasn’t made public until Thursday, when a judge ordered the case unsealed. Whitaker transferred ownership of Mon Ethos to Jones in April, according to a statement the company released last month.

Whitaker is a convicted felon who made headlines for helping the federal government secure a $500 million settlement with Google that earned him a reduced 70-month prison sentence for fraud in 2011.

Whitaker’s criminal history hasn’t prevented him from getting government contracts funded by federal grants, “and it shouldn’t, right?” Motta said Monday.

“Just because someone has a criminal history doesn’t mean they’re going to end up defrauding the government. That’s what happened in this case,” Motta said. “Even if people knew about this guy’s background, once he met all the procurement requirements, there was nothing anyone could do to stop his company from doing business with the Virgin Islands government.”

The company’s relationship with the British Virgin Islands police ended last month in a lawsuit, and the Justice Department dropped its remaining claims against the company after Mon Ethos returned cellphones and other digital devices loaned by the department. Today is the government’s deadline to respond to a motion by Mon Ethos’ attorney, Alex Golubitsky, who is seeking $43,920 in attorneys’ fees.

Jones also said Monday that Bryan recently assured him the government would pay outstanding bills to Mon Ethos, including $479,795 in work done for the police department, and continue the school security camera project that has been underway for nine months.

“In fact, the governor went as far as promising that he would ask them to release the funds and issue the cheques, adding that we have no complaints about the service. These remarks were made well after MEPSVI’s change of ownership in April 2024 and reflect the government’s satisfaction with the company’s performance under the new management,” Jones said.

“I don’t know whether the government owes the company any outstanding bills, that’s a matter that would likely be resolved through litigation, so I can’t comment on that at this time,” Motta said Monday.

The government’s “Transparency” website lists five checks dated July 25 totaling $479,795 from the General Fund to pay the police department’s bills in Mon Ethos. The checks are still listed as “approved” but not “paid.”

Despite the discrepancy, Motta insisted Monday that the Transparency website and the Property and Procurement Contracts portal provide the public with accurate and up-to-date information.

On Monday, the Daily News attempted to search the site for known contracts, but that function has been down for months. While the police department’s contract with Mon Ethos is listed, the education department’s is not, even though it was signed and executed in February.

It’s also unclear what will happen to the hundreds of cameras that Mon Ethos purchased and programmed for the St. Croix school system, which were ready to be installed but are now in storage while the government works to determine next steps.

“I don’t have the answer to that question right now, but I’m pretty sure there’s going to have to be another request for proposals, and they’re going to have to go through the bidding process and the procurement process to find another contractor that can do this work,” Motta said Monday.

Jones said he moved his family from Atlanta to St. Croix in anticipation of continuing the company’s work on government contracts, including installing school security cameras.

“It is astonishing that the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands seems to prefer politics over the safety of its schools and children,” Jones said.