Villagomez seeks new cutoff to file motions

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez asked the federal court yesterday to grant him another extension on the deadline for him to file pre-trial motions due to additional documents to be provided him by the U.S. government.

Villagomez’s lawyer, Joey P. San Nicolas, said that assistant U.S. attorney Eric O’Malley has no objection to their request to extend the Sept. 8, 2008, deadline for filing the pre-trial motions to Sept. 22, 2008.

San Nicolas, in Villagomez’s second motion to extend the deadline, underscored the need for another deadline considering that the U.S. government will provide them with additional discovery after the Sept. 8 deadline.

The lawyer said he spoke with O’Malley last Wednesday and inquired whether the U.S. Attorney’s Office would provide additional discovery materials.

San Nicolas said he also inquired from the prosecutor whether the U.S. Attorney’s Office would provide a written response to their initial request for discovery materials.

He said O’Malley informed him that additional discovery would be provided in a week and a half and that a written response will be provided at that later date.

The original deadline was set for Aug. 25, 2008. On Aug. 21, U.S. District Court for the NMI chief judge Alex R. Munson extended the deadline to Sept. 8 after Villagomez’s counsel and O’Malley entered a stipulation to extend the deadline.

The first extension was made after Villagomez’s counsels requested for and received partial discovery.

In Villagomez’s first request for extension, San Nicolas stated that the discovery received thus far is voluminous and requires adequate time to review to prepare pre-trial motions in this case.

Meanwhile, attorney Brien Sers Nicholas recently withdrew as co-counsel for Villagomez. The lawyer cited prior commitments requiring him to travel and spend more time in Palau.

Villagomez consented to San Nicholas’ withdrawal. Munson granted the motion.

Villagomez’s remaining counsels are Joey San Nicolas and Guam lawyer David J. Lujan.

In other developments, Munson recently allowed attorney Ramon Quichocho to replace attorney Richard W. Pierce as counsel for Joaquina V. Santos, who had been indicted with Villagomez.

Last week, Munson also approved the substitution of attorney Victorino DLG. Torres as replacement of attorney Colin Thompson as counsel for former Commerce Secretary James Santos.

Villagomez, James Santos, his wife Joaquina Villagomez Santos, and former Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Anthony Guerrero were indicted with conspiring to bilk CUC out of thousands of dollars through business deals involving needless chemical purchases for CUC.

Villagomez and the Santos couple pleaded not guilty. Guerrero entered a guilty plea.