Dec. 14, 2005 — A federal judge sentenced a former V.I. deputy health commissioner Wednesday to 5 years probation for stealing more than $102,000 from the government.
Lucien Moolenaar II, 61, was also ordered to repay the $102,000 and was fined 4.5 percent of the sum, some $4,500, for his August 2004 conviction of grand larceny, converting government funds and making false statements.
District Court Judge Raymond Finch gave Moolenaar, a dentist, 30 days to prove he had repaid the money, as Moolenaar claimed.
A courtroom full of friends and family wept and hugged Moolenaar when they learned he would not be sentenced to a prison term.
From 1995 to 2000, the territory's Finance Department issued Moolenaar 63 double paychecks due to a clerical error.
Because the Health Department, who employed Moolenaar, is partially funded by federal dollars, he also faced federal charges.
Moolenaar never reported the overpayments, claiming he had not noticed.
"I always assumed the government was doing everything right … and obviously I was wrong. I wasn't paying attention and the government wasn't paying attention," Moolenaar told Finch on Wednesday. "I am guilty of trusting the local government but not of seeking overpayment with criminal intent."
Federal prosecutor Armando Bonilla said a jury had already rejected Moolenaar's claims.
"This was not an isolated incident by a man who otherwise did good deeds," Bonilla said.
Moolenaar's lawyer, Arturo Watlington Jr., had been able to delay sentencing since 2004 for fear it might influence jurors in other ongoing high profile corruption trials.
Watlington said he would appeal the conviction, saying some evidence used against Moolenaar should not have been admitted.
Moolenaar faced up to 22 years in prison.

Back Talk

Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.