Court Approves Medical Travel For Jenifer O'Neal
Former US Virgin Islands budget director Jenifer O'Neal has received federal court approval to travel to Maryland for medical care. O'Neal, who was recently convicted of fraud and bribery, faces strict conditions including daily probation check-ins and an immediate return to St. Thomas. The ruling follows her high-profile December conviction alongside former Police Commissioner Ray Martinez.
Former United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Office of Management and Budget Director Jenifer O'Neal has been granted permission by a federal court to travel to the US mainland for scheduled medical appointments. O'Neal informed the court that she required a 10-day travel window starting January 8 to visit her residence in Maryland to attend several healthcare visits.
A motion filed by her defense counsel confirmed that federal prosecutors raised no objection to the request. While an initial recommendation proposed capping the trip at seven days, the court allowed the requested duration after reviewing the complete schedule of medical services required.
In granting the request, Judge Kearney placed stringent restrictions on O'Neal's movements throughout the trip. The court ordered that her itinerary be strictly limited to the specified medical appointments, barring any social outings, personal visits, restaurant dining, or extraneous travel outside her residence.
She was required to provide a detailed schedule to the court and return to St. Thomas within 24 hours of her final appointment, with an absolute deadline of January 18. Under the court order, O'Neal must maintain regular contact with law enforcement authorities during her time on the mainland.
She is mandated to place daily telephone check-ins with the probation office before 4:30 PM, detailing her exact daily movements and confirming that she interacted only with authorized medical professionals. Judge Kearney issued a strict warning that any failure to adhere to these terms could prompt the immediate revocation of her travel privileges and result in her being remanded into custody.
The travel authorization comes in the wake of O'Neal's conviction in December on federal fraud and bribery charges alongside co-accused former USVI Police Commissioner Ray Martinez. A jury found both former senior officials guilty of colluding to inflate invoices and expedite payments for a private contractor that received tens of thousands of dollars in public funds.
The high-profile public corruption case continues to draw close attention from observers across the Virgin Islands archipelago.
Primary source: VINO