ST. CROIX — Convicted contractor and government witness David Whitaker has submitted letters of support to a District Court judge ahead of his sentencing Wednesday, with family members, friends, attorneys, business associates, and a professional athlete urging the court to consider his character, personal relationships, and efforts to rebuild his life.
The letters support Whitaker’s request for a sentence of probation with home detention, or alternatively a short custodial term, when he appears before U.S. District Judge Mark Kearney for sentencing.
Among those writing on Whitaker’s behalf were individuals who described long-term personal relationships with Whitaker.
Taylor Black, a resident of Acworth, Georgia who is Whitaker’s life partner, described sharing a committed home and family life with Whitaker, a person identified only as “Maxwell,” and their two dogs for nearly nine years. Black spoke of Whitaker being “harassed” and “bullied” far beyond ordinary jailhouse hardship while in custody following his arrest in 2008, adding that Whitaker later sought a doctor’s help for “trauma-related” symptoms.
Maxwell Robins, also of Acworth, has been in a committed relationship with Whitaker for the past 10 years. Robins, who described Whitaker as a “loving, compassionate, dependable and caring individual,” noted that Whitaker was there to provide support when mental health prevented Robins from working.
One letter came from his mother, Louellen Payne, who asked the court to consider the person she knew her son to be — “a good man who comes when his family needs him, cares for Max and Taylor, and has worked hard for many years to live responsibly.” She noted that she spent months in New Orleans helping her son find mental health care after his first arrest, but that the Bureau of Prisons prescribed him Wellbutrin even though he carried a doctor’s letter explaining what medications had worked and warning that Wellbutrin made him manic.
“He came home severely manic, and the cycle that followed lasted for much of a decade,” Payne wrote.
By the time her son reached his 30s, Payne noted she saw a different adult son than the young man she had worried over in his 20s. She described a responsible and dependable person who works, helps, and comes when his family needs him.
Several professionals also vouched for Whitaker’s character and conduct.
Jonathan Kavner, who said he has known Whitaker for almost 14 years, wrote that he first met him through a technology company hired to build a project and later employed Whitaker as chief technology officer. He shared that their business relationship grew into a friendship.
Attorney Jared Wichnovitz, a New Jersey lawyer who has represented Whitaker since approximately November 2024, requested the court give substantial mitigating weight to Whitaker’s role as a caregiver and emergency guardian to an individual under psychiatric treatment who also suffers from hereditary hemochromatosis and requires therapeutic phlebotomy on a recurring schedule.
Attorney Joseph Balliro Jr., of Massachusetts, who has known Whitaker for nearly 20 years, stated that Whitaker’s psychiatric and medication history requires attention to detail that makes him particularly vulnerable to adverse and severe health issues while incarcerated.
Jasmine Perez Pimentel, a family friend who lives in Massachusetts, told the court she met Whitaker after her husband began working for him as a general contractor while Whitaker was employed by a large development company. When that company closed, Pimentel noted that Whitaker continued to find work for her husband.
“There were times when David was waiting to be paid from a project himself, but if money came in, the people around him benefited,” she wrote. “He paid people, found work, bought flights when help was needed, and tried to keep people earning.”
Professional bodybuilder Xavisus Gayden, of California, also submitted a letter, stating that he met Whitaker in October 2018 while seeking assistance advancing his athletic career through representation, sponsorship opportunities, and promotion.
“He pushed me to think beyond trophies and plan for my future,” Gayden wrote. “He talked to me about building something that could support my family long term, not just chasing another stage win.”
The support letters were filed alongside a sentencing memorandum in which Whitaker’s attorney David Cattie argues that incarceration is unnecessary and that strict home confinement would satisfy the goals of federal sentencing law.
READ MORE: David Whitaker seeks home detention in corruption case as prosecutors push 22-month prison term
Whitaker, founder of Mon Ethos Pro Support, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to two counts of wire fraud and one count of bribery concerning federal programs. He admitted participating in a scheme involving inflated billing connected to a Virgin Islands Police Department investigation and submitting a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan application.
The defense contends Whitaker provided extensive cooperation to federal investigators and prosecutors, including testimony in two major public corruption trials.
One case resulted in the December 2025 convictions of former Police Commissioner Ray Martinez and former Office of Management and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal. The other led to the July 2025 convictions of former Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White and contractor Benjamin Hendricks.
According to the defense filing, Whitaker’s cooperation was critical to those prosecutions and included periods during which he acted under FBI direction. His attorney argues that his public role as a cooperating witness creates heightened safety concerns if he is incarcerated.
Under a proposed reduction for substantial assistance, Whitaker’s advisory sentencing guideline range is approximately one-and-a-half years to two years. He is asking the court to impose probation with up to four years of home detention or, alternatively, a sentence of one year and one day in prison followed by supervised release.
Federal prosecutors, however, are seeking a 22-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release.
In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors describe Whitaker’s conduct as a “greed-driven” pattern of fraud and corruption involving three separate fraud offenses committed through his company, Mon Ethos Pro Support. They argue Whitaker repeatedly chose criminal conduct over legitimate business opportunities.
