Man sentenced to 37 months in prison for abusive sex contact

Alicia A.G. Limtiaco, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced yesterday that Albert Entera Pingul was sentenced by U.S. District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood to 37 months incarceration and five years supervised release.

Pingul pleaded guilty on March 25, 2014, to one count of abusive sexual conduct in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2244(a)(1). Pingul, a manager at the Orote Point Bowling Lanes on the U.S. Naval Base, coerced a female employee to enter a mechanic room where he engaged in sexual contact through the use of force. Pingul was ordered to register with the Sex Offender Registry wherever he lives, works or attends school for the duration of his life. Pingul was also ordered to undergo a sex offender assessment.

Limtiaco said: “The aggressive prosecution of all sexual offenses is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledges the victim’s courage and strength in coming forward and reporting to law enforcement the unwanted sexual contact.”

She noted that defendants who have committed sexual abuse of adults or children, have a duty to register and keep their registration current with the Sex Offender Registry in their jurisdiction. Sex offenders who travel to Guam and who reside on Guam must inform the Guam Sex Offender Registry where they reside, work, or attend school. They must also periodically update their registration information. The Sex Offender Registry was created in order to protect the public by protecting victims, preventing further victimization and informing the public of the whereabouts of sex offenders. Guam’s Sex Offender Registry can be found online at www.guamcourts.org.

Limtiaco noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, a nationwide commitment to aggressively prosecute defendants who engage in the sexual victimization of children and adults, possess or receive child pornography, and sex offenders who fail to register with the jurisdiction’s Sex Offender Registry.

The investigation was conducted by Special Agents of the Naval Criminal Investigation Service. The case was handled by assistant U.S. attorney R. San Nicolas. (USAO)