Habitual offender gets 1 year in prison for theft

A habitual offender was slapped Monday with a maximum sentence of one year in prison for stealing a woman’s purse as she was playing cards at a friend’s garage in Chalan Kanoa.

Forty-six-year-old Peter Koichi Lemei will serve his sentence without parole.

Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho admonished Lemei: “The people of the CNMI cry out for justice against the epidemic of thefts, burglaries, and robberies. There can be no justice without the appropriate punishment,” said

Lemei was given credit for time served.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be given a copy of his sentence. Lemei, also known as Peter Lemei Koichi, Petrus, and Boboi, is a citizen of Palau.

Citing Lemei’s five prior cases, including a crime of violence, Camacho noted that the defendant is not a candidate for rehabilitation since the lenient sentences in Lemei’s prior cases failed to rehabilitate him.

Camacho said Lemei requires a much longer sentence to ensure that he fully understands his actions and is deterred from future crimes.

Assistant attorney general Heather Barcinas, counsel for the government, recommended a prison sentence of one year. Assistant public defender Tillman Clark, counsel for Lemei, recommended a prison sentence of 10 months with credit for time served.

In her written statement, the victim said she is scared and that the incident physically impacted her and her families’ lives. She said she could not sleep properly, and that her day-to-day living has changed. She detailed the property lost and damage in the amount of $2,399. The prosecution, however, charged Lemei with theft of not more than $250.

Last Jan. 30, Camacho found Lemei guilty of theft.

The bench trial commenced on Aug. 16, 2016, continued on Oct. 31, 2016, then on Jan. 26, and ended last Jan. 30.

The victim testified that she saw the face of the person who took her purse. She stated she knows the defendant as she has seen him in the past walking by with his dog and that he stays in the neighborhood.

The victim’s friend testified that she was playing cards with the victim. She said when the dogs were fighting under the table, she saw a person grab the purse but could not see the face.