5th Operation Deviant Guard checks 55 sex offenders

The United States Marshals Service District of Guam and NMI, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety Sex Offender Registry and other local and federal agencies, successfully located and verified for compliance checks 55 registered sex offenders on Saipan during their fifth “Operation Deviant Guard,” a three-day compliance check targeting sex offenders.

In a news briefing on Friday at the CNMI Judiciary’s conference room, Police officer Jason T. Tarkong, who is in charge of DPS Sex Offender Unit, said of the 55 targeted registered sex offenders, 22 were recently convicted and are incarcerated at the Department of Corrections.

Tarkong said the registration of 22 recently convicted sex offenders include taking of their photos, fingerprints, and DNA collection.

The U.S. Marshal Service Task Force served a warrant on Frank Basa, for violating his federal probation terms and conditions.

At the same time during Basa’s arrest, the U.S. Marshal Service Task Force also registered and verified his brother, Melvin Basa.

The U.S. Marshal Service Task Force also assisted the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement on the arrest of Alisa T. Curley, an alien who was convicted of felony theft of property in Guam 2013 but fled Guam while on supervision.

Curley was arrested for an alien being subject to removal from the U.S. based on her criminal conviction.

Registered sex offender Vicente Kaipat was arrested on an active bench warrant.

Tarkong said one convicted sex offender passed away and one sex offender was added to the compliance check.

The other agencies that participated in the operation were the CNMI Office of Parole, CNMI Office of Adult Probation, CNMI and Guam Department of Corrections, Guam Police Department, Judiciary of Guam Marshals Division, and the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Tarkong also disclosed that last March, the U.S. Marshals Service and the CNMI Sex Offenders Task Force Unit conducted a registered sex offenders verification and training operation on Rota.

Tarkong said the team trained Rota and Tinian police officers on how to register sex offenders to include DNA swabbing.

As a result, six registered sex offenders on Rota and 12 on Tinian were updated and verified.

“The efforts of these dedicated law enforcement professionals were instrumental in the successful execution of Operation Deviant Guard,” Tarkong said.

This initiative, Tarkong said, is the fifth of similar operations conducted in the past and planned for the future, “in an effort to protect and safeguard the community, most especially the children.”

Joseph J. Remigio, chief inspector for U.S. Marshals, said it was a very successful operation as the cooperation and teamwork was excellent.

Remigio said it is a good thing when each agency gets together because it brings fluidity with the operation.

Remigio is basically the chief inspector for the sex offender investigative branch in the Marshal Service. His area of responsibility is the whole California, Nevada, Hawaii, the CNMI, and Guam.

“Once they do conduct operation in each district so whichever region it is, I go and participate in the operation to ensure that everything is being taken care of,” Remigio said.

It’s Remigio’s second time to visit the CNMI. The first time was when they were trying to incorporate the national sex offender registry in 2009.

“I went here with some of the U.S. attorneys to try to see how we can help and make the transition a lot better,” he said.

John Untalan, senior inspector for the U.S. Marshals Service Districts of Guam/NMI, said without the cooperation of the managers of various agencies and all participants, the operation will not be as successful as it has been.

Untalan said in Guam, there are over 500 registered sex offenders and 400 of them are actually out on the streets that they actually have been monitoring.

Untalan said they recently conducted the same operation in Guam before proceeding to Saipan.

DPS police director Pete Leon Guerrero said “Deviant Guard” is keeping the community safe by watching these sex offenders and showing that the officers are vigilant in doing this compliance check.

“We have to take these guys on check,” Leon Guerrero pointed out.

In July 2011, the first Deviant Guard operation on Saipan targeted 50 registered sex offenders, located and verified 40 offenders, arrested five for non-compliance, and confiscated $7,000 worth of marijuana plants.