Man, 57, gets 30 years and six months for rape

A 57-year-old man who raped an 18-year-old student in a jungle near the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport in 2016 was meted yesterday with a sentence of 30 years and six months in prison.

John Santos Aldan was sentenced to the maximum 30-year prison term for sexual assault in the first degree and six months in prison for disturbing the peace.

Both sentences shall run consecutively. That means Aldan will serve a total of 30 years and six months in prison, to be served without the possibility of parole.

Superior Court Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio said the sentence and punishment will hold Aldan accountable, is proportional, and serves the interests of justice.

Assistant attorney general Teri C. Tenorio had recommended the maximum sentence of 30 years and six months.

She said Aldan took the victim to a deserted location, held her down, and raped her. Tenorio said that photos presented at the trial clearly demonstrated extensive bruising on the victim’s hips and thighs. These injuries, Tenorio said, underscore the extreme force and violence used against the victim as she fought against Aldan when he sexually assaulted her.

The prosecutor said the victim has not been able to return to school or trust people, has turned from family and friends, drugged herself, has struggled to move on, and continues to have nightmares.

Aldan’s lawyer, assistant public defender Cindy Nesbit, had recommended a sentence of 10 years imprisonment, with credit for time served, saying he is a first-time offender who could be rehabilitated.

Aldan, a citizen of Pohnpei, will likely be deported following his prison sentence.

“That reality means that this crime has not only cost him his freedom but will also likely cost him his home of nearly 50 years and his family,” Nesbit said.

A jury found Aldan guilty of sexual assault in the first degree last May 26. Kim-Tenorio found him guilty of disturbing the peace.

Aldan is a retired Commonwealth Utilities Corp. power plant operator.

The victim told police that Aldan picked her up from school on Feb. 8, 2016. Instead of taking the usual route, he drove her to a jungle area by the airport, where he raped her inside a pickup truck. She later told her mother about the incident that led to Aldan’s arrest.