- Son of former BVI Port Director receives jail sentence in Florida
According to U.S. District Court records, the son of a former high-ranking official in the British Virgin Islands government has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking operation.
Judge Kathleen Williams punished Kadeem Maynard, 32, son of former BVI Ports Director Oleanvine Maynard, 61, in a Miami courtroom on Monday.
Maynard’s mother is scheduled to appear in court on January 18 for sentencing.
Former BVI Premier Andrew Fahie, 53, has pled not guilty and is still awaiting trial as a third co-defendant in the case.
The Maynards have been imprisoned since their arrests in April 2022, and both pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to import cocaine, which carries a required minimum of ten years in prison and the possibility of life in prison.
However, the statute offers a “safety valve” exclusion from mandatory minimum punishment for individuals who match certain criteria, such as having no criminal history. As a result, judges can give a downward variance and impose a more lenient sentence, as was done in the case of Kadeem Maynard on Monday.
J. Rafael Rodriguez, Maynard’s defence counsel, made an unchallenged move to seal a portion of the sentencing proceedings.
He also sought “that the portion of the sentencing proceedings which relate to Defendant’s pending motion for variance be sealed since sensitive information will be provided to the Court.”
After reviewing the evidence, Williams sentenced Maynard to 57 months in jail, which is less than half of the mandatory minimum 10-year sentence.
Maynard must be monitored for five years after being released from prison and pay a $100 special assessment.
Fahie, who is free on bond and living with his daughters in Florida, is slated to stand trial on January 2.
According to court records, Fahie and the Maynards were arrested in a sting operation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, which included video recordings obtained by a confidential source showing the trio discussing their plans to help smuggle cocaine via BVI ports.
According to the documents, Kadeem Maynard brought the confidential source to his mother, who connected him to Fahie and planned encounters, including on St. Thomas.
According to the documents, Oleanvine Maynard branded Fahie as a “little crook,” and her son boasted about his previous drug trafficking operations and accepted $10,000 cash from the source “as a gesture of good faith.”
