Title 14 — Crimes
77 chapters · 525 sections in this title.
14 V.I.C. § 1021 Definitions
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(a) As used in this chapter:(a) “Obscene” means that to the average person, applying contemporary standards, the predominant appeal of the matter, taken as a whole, is to prurient interest, i.e., a shameful or morbid interest in nudity, sex, or excretion, which goes substantially…
14 V.I.C. § 1022 Obscene and indecent conduct
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(a) Whoever—(a) (1) exposes his person or the private parts thereof in any public place, or in any place where there are present other persons to be offended or annoyed thereby, or who exposes himself or takes part in any model artist exhibition, or makes any other exhibition of …
14 V.I.C. § 1023 Public performances
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Whoever as owner, manager or operator of a place of public entertainment shall present a public performance or exhibition, open to the public, which violates any provisions of section 1021 of this title shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than 30 days, or bot…
14 V.I.C. § 1024 Distribution; printing, exhibiting, distributing or possessing
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(a) Every person who knowingly, sends or causes to be sent, or brings or causes to be brought, into the Virgin Islands for sale or distribution, or in the Virgin Islands prepares, publishes, prints, exhibits, distributes, or offers to distribute, or has in his possession with int…
14 V.I.C. § 1025 Distribution or exhibition to minor under 18
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(a) Every person who, with knowledge that a person is a minor under 18 years of age, or who, while in possession of such facts that he should reasonably know that such person is a minor under 18 years of age, knowingly distributes to, or sends or causes to be sent to, or exhibits…
14 V.I.C. § 1026 Drive-in theater exhibitions visible to non-patrons
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Any person who owns, operates or manages a drive-in theater at which is exhibited any motion picture, slide or other exhibit in which the human male or female bare buttocks, human female bare breasts, or human male or female bare pubic areas are shown in an erotic and/or sexually…
14 V.I.C. § 1027 Employment of minor to perform prohibited acts
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(a) Every person who (i) with knowledge that a person is a minor, or (ii) while in possession of such facts that he should reasonably know that such person is a minor, or (iii) any parent or guardian who has a minor under his or her control, knowingly permits, promotes, employs, …
14 V.I.C. § 1031 Short Title
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This subchapter may be cited as “Revenge Porn Act.”
14 V.I.C. § 1032 Definitions
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(1) As used in this subchapter chapter:(1) “electronic communications device” means a computer, an internet web site or page, a video recorder, a digital camera, a fax machine, a telephone, a cellular telephone, a pager, or any other device that can produce an electronically gene…
14 V.I.C. § 1033 Non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images
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(a) A person commits non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images when the person:(1) purposely, and with the intent to harass, intimidate, threaten, coerce, or cause harm to the emotional, financial, or physical welfare of the depicted person, disseminates an image of a…
14 V.I.C. § 1034 Liability; Exceptions
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(a) The intentional dissemination of an image of another identifiable person who is engaged in a sexual act or whose intimate parts are exposed is exempt from the provision of this section when:(1) the dissemination is made for the purpose of a criminal investigation that is othe…
14 V.I.C. § 1035 Punishment
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(a) A person who is convicted for the first time for a violation of this subchapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and is subject to a term of imprisonment of not more than one year, or a fine of not more than $5,000, or both. (b) A person who is convicted a second or any additional …
14 V.I.C. § 1036 Civil Remedies
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A person whose private sexual images have been disseminated in violation of this subchapter may bring a civil action against the person who disseminated the private sexual images and is entitled to injunctive relief, the greater of $10,000 or actual damages incurred because of th…
14 V.I.C. § 1037 Forfeiture
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(a) After an opportunity to be heard by the court, a person who has been found guilty of committing the offense of non-consensual dissemination of private sexual material forfeits to the Government of the Virgin Islands:(1) Any profits or proceeds and any property the person has …
14 V.I.C. § 1051 False imprisonment and kidnapping
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Whoever without lawful authority confines or imprisons another person within this Territory against his will, or confines or inveigles or kidnaps another person, with intent to cause him to be confined or imprisoned in this Territory against his will, or to cause him to be sent o…
14 V.I.C. § 1052 Kidnapping for ransom, extortion, robbery or rape
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(a) Any person who seizes, confines, inveigles, entices, decoys, abducts, conceals, kidnaps or carries away any individual by any means whatsoever with intent to hold or detain, or who holds or detains, such individual for ransom, reward or to commit extortion or to exact from an…
14 V.I.C. § 1081 Larceny defined and classified
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(a) Larceny is the unlawful taking, stealing, carrying, leading, or driving away the personal property of another. (b) Larceny is divided into two degrees, grand larceny and petit larceny.
14 V.I.C. § 1082 Appropriating lost property
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Whoever finds lost property, and appropriates such property to his own use, or to the use of another person not entitled thereto, is guilty of larceny.
14 V.I.C. § 1083 Grand larceny
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(a) Whoever takes property—(1) which is of $500 or more in value; or(2) from the person of another—commits grand larceny and shall be imprisoned for not more than 10 years. (1) which is of $500 or more in value; or (2) from the person of another— commits grand larceny and shall b…
14 V.I.C. § 1084 Petit larceny
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(a) Whoever commits larceny under any other circumstances is guilty of petit larceny and shall be fined not more than $200 or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both. (b) Whoever is convicted of petit larceny shall be required to pay mandatory restitution.
14 V.I.C. § 1085 Severance of fixture from realty as larceny
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The provisions of this chapter apply where the thing taken is any fixture or part of the realty, and is severed at the time of the taking, in the same manner as if the thing had been severed by another person at a previous time.
14 V.I.C. § 1086 Valuation of evidences of debt
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If the thing stolen consists of any evidence of debt, or other written instrument, the amount of money due thereupon, or secured to be paid thereby, and remaining unsatisfied, or which in any contingency might be collected thereon, or the value of the property the title to which …
14 V.I.C. § 1087 Embezzlement defined
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Embezzlement is the fraudulent appropriation of property by a person to whom it has been entrusted.
14 V.I.C. § 1088 Undelivered negotiable instruments as property
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Any evidence of debt, negotiable by delivery only, and actually executed, is the subject of embezzlement, whether it has been delivered or issued as a valid instrument or not.
14 V.I.C. § 1089 Embezzlement by public and private officers
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Whoever, being an officer of the Virgin Islands or a subdivision thereof, or a deputy, clerk, or servant of such officer, or an officer, director, trustee, clerk, servant, attorney, or agent of any association, society, or corporation (public or private), fraudulently appropriate…
14 V.I.C. § 1090 Embezzlement by carriers
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Whoever, being a carrier or other person having under his control personal property for the purpose of transportation for hire, fraudulently appropriates it to any use or purpose, inconsistent with the safekeeping of such property and its transportation according to his trust is …
14 V.I.C. § 1091 Embezzlement by fiduciaries
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Whoever, being a trustee, banker, merchant, broker, attorney, agent, assignee in trust, executor, administrator, or collector, or person otherwise intrusted with or having in his control property for the use of any other person, fraudulently appropriates it to any use or purpose …
14 V.I.C. § 1092 Embezzlement by bailee
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Whoever, being intrusted with any property as bailee, tenant, or lodger, or with any power of attorney for the sale or transfer thereof, fraudulently converts the same or the proceeds thereof to his own use, or secretes it or them with a fraudulent intent to convert to his own us…
14 V.I.C. § 1093 Embezzlement by clerks, agents, employees, etc
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Whoever, being a clerk, agent, or servant of any person, fraudulently appropriates to his own use, or secretes with a fraudulent intent to appropriate to his own use, any property of another which has come into his control or care by virtue of his employment as such clerk, agent …
14 V.I.C. § 1094 Punishment for embezzlement
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(a) Whoever is guilty of embezzlement shall—(1) if the property or money embezzled was less than $100 in value, be fined not more than $200 or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both; or(2) if the property or money embezzled was $100 or more in value, be imprisoned not more than…
14 V.I.C. § 1131 Opening or reading letters of another
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(1) Whoever—(1) willfully opens or reads, or causes to be read, any sealed letter not addressed to himself, without being authorized to do so, either by the writer of such letter or by the person to whom it is addressed; or(2) without the like authority, publishes any of the cont…
14 V.I.C. § 1132 Refusal or neglect to send or deliver message
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(a) Whoever, being an agent, operator or employee of any telegraph, cable, telephone or radio office, willfully—(1) refuses or neglects to send any message received at such office for transmission; or(2) postpones the same out of its order; or(3) refuses or neglects to deliver an…
14 V.I.C. § 1133 Misuse of information obtained during course of employment
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(1) Whoever, being an agent, operator, or employee of any radio, telephone, telegraph or cable office—(1) uses or appropriates in any way, any information derived by him from any private message passing through his hands, and addressed to any other person, or in any other manner …
14 V.I.C. § 1134 Reading telegraphic messages; misuse of information so obtained
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(1) Whoever—(1) by means of any machine, instrument, or contrivance, or in any other manner, willfully and fraudulently reads or attempts to read any message, or to learn the contents thereof, while the same is being sent by radio or over any telegraph line;(2) willfully and frau…
14 V.I.C. § 1135 Disclosing information received during the course of employment
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(1) Whoever—(1) by the payment or promise of any bribe, inducement or reward, procures or attempts to procure any telegraph, radio or cable agent, operator or employee to disclose any private message, or the contents, purport, substance, or meaning thereof;(2) offers to any such …
14 V.I.C. § 1136 Disclosing contents of telegram
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Whoever willfully discloses the contents of any telegraphic, radio or cable message, or any part thereof, addressed to another person, without the permission of such person, unless directed so to do by lawful order of a court, shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not m…
14 V.I.C. § 1137 Altering telegrams
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Whoever willfully alters the purport, effect, or meaning of a telegraphic, radio or cable message to the injury of another, shall be fined not more than $2,000 or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
14 V.I.C. § 1138 Opening or reading telegrams
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(1) Whoever, not being connected with any telegraph, radio, or cable office—(1) willfully opens any sealed envelope inclosing any telegraphic, radio or cable message, without authority or consent of the person to whom the same may be directed and with the purpose of learning the …
14 V.I.C. § 1171 Libel defined
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A malicious publication, by writing, printing, picture, effigy, sign or otherwise than by mere speech, which exposes any living person, or the memory of any deceased person to hatred, contempt, ridicule or obloquy, or which causes or tends to cause any person to be shunned or avo…
14 V.I.C. § 1172 Punishment for libel
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Whoever willfully publishes or procures to be published any libel, or distributes or causes to be distributed any libelous matter in the form of leaflets, cards, or any other manner whatsoever, either printed or written, posting or causing them to be posted in any place, shall be…
14 V.I.C. § 1173 Malice presumed
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An injurious publication is presumed to have been malicious if no justifiable motive for making it is shown.
14 V.I.C. § 1174 Truth as a defense
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In all criminal prosecutions for libel, the truth may be given in evidence, and if it appears to the court that the matter charged as libelous is true, and was published with good motives and for justifiable ends, the party shall be acquitted.
14 V.I.C. § 1175 Publication defined
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To sustain a charge of publishing a libel, it is not necessary that the words or things complained of should have been read or seen by another. It is enough that the accused knowingly parted with the immediate custody of the libel, under circumstances which exposed it to be read …
14 V.I.C. § 1176 Liability of editors, proprietors and authors
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(a) Every editor or proprietor of a book, newspaper or serial publication and every manager of a partnership or incorporated association by which a book, newspaper or serial publication is issued, is chargeable with the publication of any matter contained in such book, newspaper …
14 V.I.C. § 1177 True reports of official proceedings as libel
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(a) A prosecution for libel cannot be maintained against any person for the publication of a fair and true report of any judicial, legislative or other public and official proceedings or for any heading of the report which is a fair and true headnote of the statement published. (…
14 V.I.C. § 1178 Privileged communications
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A communication made to a person interested in the communication, by one who was also interested or who stood in such relation to the former as to afford a reasonable ground for supposing his motive innocent, is not presumed to be malicious, and is a privileged communication.
14 V.I.C. § 1179 Threatening to publish libel
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(1) Whoever—(1) threatens another with the publication of a libel concerning him, or any parent, husband, wife, child or other member of his family; or(2) offers to prevent the publication of a libel upon another person upon condition of the payment of, or with intent to extort, …
14 V.I.C. § 1180 Slander defined
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(1) Slander is a—(1) false and malicious utterance made by word of mouth in a public manner against a person, whereby such person is charged with the commission of a deed punishable by law; or(2) a tale, or report maliciously made tending to injure the honor, reputation or worthi…
14 V.I.C. § 1181 Malice presumed
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Any slanderous statement made whether in the presence of the injured person or in his absence, is presumed to be malicious and shall constitute the crime of slander.
14 V.I.C. § 1182 Punishment for slander
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Whoever commits slander shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than 180 days, or both.