Eight years after a brazen robbery shook one of Antigua's premier luxury hotels, the man accused of masterminding the theft remains at large. According to Antigua.news, Anthony "Thug Life" Govia — wanted in connection with the June 30, 2018 aggravated robbery at Carlisle Bay Resort — has never been apprehended, despite an extensive investigation and regional alerts issued in the immediate aftermath of the crime.
Police allege that Govia, who was 31 years old at the time of the incident, conspired with former Carlisle Bay Resort accounts clerk Kathy-Ann Isaac to steal more than EC$98,000 from the hotel. Investigators believe he fled Antigua in the days following the robbery and remains on the police wanted list to this day.
The case initially presented itself as a straightforward armed robbery carried out by a lone gunman. Surveillance footage captured two employees removing cash from the resort's safe and placing it into bags before an armed man entered and made off with the money.
Isaac, who had worked as an accounts clerk at Carlisle Bay Resort for approximately 14 years, was among the employees seen handling the cash. In the immediate aftermath, she portrayed herself as a traumatised victim. The investigation took a decisive turn just days later, however, when police uncovered evidence allegedly linking her to the planning of the crime. She was subsequently charged with aggravated robbery.
In February 2019, Isaac pleaded guilty before the High Court. On April 19, 2020, she was sentenced to two years and six months at Her Majesty's Prison. She has since served her sentence.
Govia's whereabouts, however, remain unknown. Police have repeatedly appealed to the public for information that could lead to his arrest, warning that assisting or harbouring a wanted person constitutes a criminal offence.
As reported by Antigua.news, one of the country's most talked-about hotel robberies remains only partially resolved eight years on — with authorities continuing their search for the man they say has successfully evaded capture since vanishing in the wake of the crime.
