Carlton Dowe Out at VIPA Amid Federal Charges

M.A. Dworkin

St. Thomas - Virgin Islands Port Authority Director (VIPA) Carlton Dowe has reportedly decided to retire as of April 10, 2026, from his longstanding  prominent position as Director of the near $200 million annual VIPA agency, amidst alleged criminal charges that brought him into federal court in St. Thomas on Friday, March 20, 2026. 

Mr. Dowe reportedly turned himself in and was released from custody after his court appearance. 

Although, initially, the details of the criminal charges or reasons for Mr. Dowe being summoned into federal court were unclear and the exact charges against Mr. Dowe were to remain sealed from public view, U.S. District Court Judge Alan Teague granted prosecutor’s motion to unseal the case which holds that Mr. Dowe is being charged in the District of Puerto Rico.

Evidently, as the indictment reads, a federal grand jury has charged Mr. Dowe with four counts of bank fraud, four counts of making a false statement on a loan application and aggravated identity theft. The indictment states Mr. Dowe falsely claimed thousands of dollars in nonexistent rental income on loan applications to Banco Popular between 2021 and 2023. Mr. Dowe was also accused of using another person’s name and signature on at least one of the applications.  

Mr. Dowe appeared in the U.S. District Court pursuant to Federal Rule 5(c)(3), which governs procedures for an initial court appearance in a district other than the one in which the offense took place.

What is known as of noon Friday, is that the order setting Mr. Dowe’s conditions of release states that he must surrender his passport and is not permitted to leave St. Thomas USVI without permission from the court. 

As of this writing there has been no date  of Mr. Dowe’s next court appearance. 

The V.I. Port Authority has not responded to calls from the St. Croix Times to further explain the court appearance and charges in the indictment, or Mr. Dowe’s  reported decision to suddenly step down or retire from his post.

This is an ongoing story and details will be released as they are made available.