The identity of the woman previously referred to as “R.S.” or “Roxane” was confirmed by United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Brian Witek during the ongoing trial of former Premier Andrew Fahie.
The individual in question is revealed to be Roxane Sylvester, the former deputy chairwoman of the British Virgin Islands Ports Authority (BVIPA).
Witek’s recent testimony shed light on Sylvester’s involvement during the time of Mr. Fahie’s arrest. Despite not being arrested or charged with any crime, Sylvester’s connection to the case has raised eyebrows. At the time of Mr. Fahie’s arrest, she was in Miami as part of a Virgin Islands delegation attending the Seatrade Cruise Global 2022 cruise industry conference.
According to Witek, Sylvester participated in a meeting at the Embassy Suites hotel in Miami with Fahie, BVIPA then Managing Director Oleanvine Maynard, and two undercover DEA operatives posing as members of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. The following day, Sylvester and Maynard reportedly accompanied the undercover agents to the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. They briefly boarded a jet containing fake cash, which Maynard allegedly believed was intended to be flown to Tortola, accompanied by Sylvester.
Witek, familiar with the voices of the key individuals involved, stated that Sylvester’s voice was among those captured on secretly recorded conversations played during the trial. The recordings primarily focused on two meetings at Miami’s Embassy Suites hotel on April 27, 2022.
From a previous testimony by undercover agent Jossue Dominguez, the court also heard that during the second meeting, Sylvester and Maynard were initially present but later left the room. The subsequent day, DEA operatives picked up Sylvester and Maynard, drove them to the airport, and showed them the fake cash on the plane.
While Maynard was detained and charged, Sylvester was released with no charges. The reasons behind the decision to detain Maynard and release Sylvester were not explained by the DEA agent during his testimony.
Sylvester’s initials also appeared in a motion filed in January, where prosecutors sought to prevent the jury from hearing a statement allegedly made by Sylvester to Maynard after the latter’s arrest. The statement claimed that Fahie had planned to call VI officials to have DEA confidential source “Roberto Quintero” arrested and the jet seized upon landing in the VI. The prosecution argued that the statement should be excluded as inadmissible hearsay, while the defence maintained its relevance to Fahie’s defence.