The sentencing hearing date for the former managing director of the BVI Ports Authority Managing Director, Oleanvine Maynard, has been deferred once again.
Last year, Maynard confessed to helping former Premier Andrew Fahie orchestrate a drug and money laundering conspiracy to smuggle thousands of kilos of cocaine through the territory’s waters and to hide the proceeds coming from their efforts.
Maynard’s initial sentencing date was set for August 21, 2023, after her guilty plea and agreement to provide testimony against Fahie in exchange for a reduced sentence.
However, the court continued to shift that date as repeated delays arose with the start of Fahie’s trial.
The court did not give a reason for the latest change in the sentencing date for Maynard, but announced in a brief notice last Thursday, that the sentencing hearing was reset to March 28 — just one month ahead of the expected sentencing date for Fahie.
Maynard’s son, Kadeem Stephan Maynard was sentenced on November 20, 2023, to serve 57 months in prison after he also pleaded guilty last year to a single count of conspiracy to import cocaine.
Meanwhile, Fahie’s sentencing date has been put into question after an unprecedented post-verdict conundrum arose following his conviction on February 8.
Moments after Fahie was led out of the court, two jurors who agreed that Fahie was guilty of four counts of conspiracy communicated with the judge and indicated second thoughts about their verdicts, which initiated a rare conflict after the trial’s conclusion.
Judge Kathleen Williams called discussions between the two sides so far meaningful and said lawyers should continue examining past cases in South Florida and around the country to find a just solution for Fahie.
The court is expected to hear more from the defence and prosecution on March 7 when a potential legal solution to Fahie’s post-verdict issue may be decided.
