DISTRICT COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS 
DIVISION OF ST. THOMAS AND ST. JOHN 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
Plaintiff, 
v. 
TILLISA CEASER and LUIS ORTIZ, JR., 
Defendants. 
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Case No. 3:20-cr-0006 
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ORDER 
 
BEFORE THE COURT is Jury Selection and Trial, currently scheduled for February 
22, 2022. For the reasons stated herein, the time to try this case is extended up to and 
including April 4, 2022. 
In response to the current conditions in the COVID-19 pandemic, the undersigned, as 
Chief Judge of the District Court of the Virgin Islands, issued a general order concerning 
operations of the Court on January 31, 2022, suspending all jury trials through February 28, 
2022.1 The Court hereby fully incorporates the findings from the Court’s Thirty-Third 
Operations Order as fully stated herein. 
 
To date, the COVID-19 virus has claimed more than 918,000 lives (105 of which have 
been in the U.S. Virgin Islands). COVID-19 continues to present an unpredictable threat to 
public health and safety, as shown in the recent surge in COVID-19 cases both in the 
continental United States and the Virgin Islands. As such, the Court finds that extending the 
period within which Defendants may be tried under the Speedy Trial Act is necessary for the 
 
1 https://www.vid.uscourts.gov/sites/vid/files/general-ordes/Order%20-%20Thirty-Third%20Operational 
%20Order%20Concerning%20COVID-19%20Outbreak.pdf 
Case: 3:20-cr-00006-RAM-RM   Document #: 71   Filed: 02/14/22   Page 1 of 2
United States v. Ceaser et al. 
Case No.: 3:20-cr-0006 
Order 
Page 2 of 2 
 
protection and well-being of the Defendants, the jury, the prosecutors, the witnesses, the 
Court’s personnel, and the general public at large. 
 
The premises considered, it is hereby 
ORDERED that the time beginning from the date of this order granting an extension 
through April 4, 2022, shall be excluded in computing the time within which the trial in this 
matter must be initiated pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3161; it is further 
ORDERED that the parties SHALL file and serve a pre-trial brief no later than March 
28, 2022, which shall include the following: (a) proposed list of witnesses; (b) proposed list 
of exhibits; (c) estimated length of case-in-chief and case-in-defense; (d) proposed non-
standard voir dire questions; and (e) proposed non-standard jury instructions related to the 
elements of the charges and defenses; it is further 
ORDERED that the parties shall provide the Clerk of Court with a USB Flash Drive 
containing electronic versions of exhibits no later than March 30, 2022;2 and it is further 
ORDERED that the jury selection and trial in this matter previously scheduled for 
February 22, 2022, are RESCHEDULED to commence promptly at 9:00 A.M. on April 4, 2022, 
in St. Thomas Courtroom 1. 
 
Dated: February 14, 2022  
/s/Robert A. Molloy  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
ROBERT A. MOLLOY 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chief Judge 
 
2 Counsel are advised to consult with Court technical staff to determine the proper format for saving electronic 
versions of exhibits. The Government’s trial exhibits shall be labelled sequentially beginning with 
Government’s Exhibit 1. Defense exhibits shall be labelled sequentially beginning with Defense Exhibit A. 
Case: 3:20-cr-00006-RAM-RM   Document #: 71   Filed: 02/14/22   Page 2 of 2