Rota official pleads guilty, gets suspended sentence

Dexter Peter Taitano Apatang, resident director of the Rota Department of Labor, has pleaded guilty and was slapped with a one-year prison term sentence, all suspended, for attending a Republican rally in Guam in June 2018 in the guise of a legitimate government trip.

The hearing was held at the CNMI Superior Court on Rota last Sept. 27. Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja issued a minute order only last Tuesday and indicated that he will issue a judgment of conviction and commitment order.

In a separate arraignment that was also held last Sept. 27 on Rota, Apatang’s co-defendant, Rota Mayor Efraim Atalig, and five other co-defendants pleaded not guilty to misconduct in public office.

The five co-defendants are all current and former Rota officials. They are Department of Public Workers resident director Vanessa Charfauros, Department of Commerce resident director Dean Manglona, former Department of Public Safety resident director Eusebio Manglona, Department of Finance resident director Josepha Manglona, and Department of Community and Cultural Affairs resident director Magdalena Mesngon.

Read more: https://www.saipantribune.com/index.php/rota-official-pleads-guilty-gets-suspended-sentence/

Note: Rota is one of the islands in the Northern Marianas Islands.