ST. CROIX — Governor Albert Bryan Jr. announced his nomination during a news conference today at Government House on St. Thomas of experienced Virgin Islands defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Gordon Rhea as the territory’s next attorney general.
The governor, while announcing Rhea’s nomination to lead the Virgin Islands Department of Justice, said the role of attorney general demands a leader of “integrity, experience, and commitment.”
“In Gordon Rhea, we have a candidate who embodies these qualities in full measure,” he said. “His nomination is a clear statement of our intent to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law across our beloved territory.”
Rhea, said he was excited about serving in the role of attorney general, noting his extensive background in prosecution, civil matters, and appellate matters. He said he felt as though he was almost made for the job, adding that he has a deep love for the Virgin Islands. He said he first came to the territory in 1968 while training on St. Croix with the U.S. Peace Corps prior to serving two years in a small Ethiopian village.
“I’m excited about this job,” Rhea said. “I’m looking forward to helping hone the Justice Department and making it a department that will be doing exactly what the Virgin Islands wants and needs.”
After beginning his legal career defending complex criminal cases in Los Angeles from 1974 to 1975, Rhea served as special assistant to the chief counsel of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities in Washington, D.C. from 1975 to 1976. He prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases from 1976 to 1981 as an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. He went on to serve as special assistant U.S. attorney in the Virgin Islands from 1981 to 1982, prosecuting major felonies.
“He quickly established himself as a formidable prosecutor, handling significant cases against high-profile murder suspects and complex economic crimes,” Bryan said about Rhea’s transition to prosecute crimes in the territory. “His intimate knowledge of our legal landscape and his profound connections to our community have only deepened since.”
Rhea, who earned his law degree from Stanford University Law School in California, has been in the private practice of law since 1983. He is a seasoned trial lawyer specializing in high-stakes litigation. He was honored with the highest award during the Virgin Islands Bar Association’s annual meeting on December 8, 2023 when he received the Winston A. Hodge Award for Public Service.
After the governor announced his nominee to serve as attorney general, Rhea spoke with WTJX about his qualifications for the job, priorities for the DOJ, and pledge to fill job vacancies within the department.
Rhea discussed his experience as an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. while prosecuting various major crimes as well as white-collar offenses. He noted he served as the executive U.S. attorney, which required him to supervise an office of 160 federal prosecutors in addition to coordinating with the police department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. He said his duties at the time were like what he will be doing as attorney general.
“I’ve been on the job before and it worked out great,” he said.
Rhea noted his major priorities as AG are to help the DOJ become more efficient to get to the point where most of the resources can be devoted to the big cases that mean the most to Virgin Islanders. He said he also wants to make the department a place where the employees enjoy working.
“It means a lot to me to have a content staff and a staff that feels pride in what they’re doing, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
When it comes to filling staff shortages despite budget constraints, Rhea said he’s still working on it.
“I’m talking to people and starting to get an idea of the various issues and various possible solutions, and I promise you that there will be a resolution to all of that,” he said. “I just need some time to figure out the way to go.”
Bryan’s nomination of Rhea to serve as attorney general follows the March 15 resignation of former Attorney General Ariel Smith after eight months on the job. Bryan immediately named Deputy Attorney General Ian Clement as acting attorney general. Bryan nominated Smith to lead the DOJ after terminating former Attorney General Denise George on December 31, 2022. George’s termination came four days after the DOJ sued JPMorgan Chase in federal court in connection with the department’s investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who killed himself in August 2019 in a Manhattan correctional facility while awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing dozens of girls.
Although the two previous attorneys general separated from serving under Bryan, Rhea told WTJX that he hasn’t had a conversation with the governor about their departures from the administration. He said, however, that he is comfortable working with Bryan.
“We have sat and talked,” Rhea said. “I think we see things pretty much eye to eye, and I’m ready to work as hard as I can to help him, and I think that kind of combination can help the people of the Virgin Islands.”
