2 men get 15-year prison terms for sex abuse

A man who sexually abused a 6-year-old girl was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison, while another man met the same fate last Friday for sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl.

Superior Court Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja sentenced 43-year-old Joseph Mar Katmag Tuesday to 20 years imprisonment, all suspended except for 15 years, for sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree.

On Friday, Naraja sentenced 33-year-old Nathan Iano Narcis to 15 years and six months imprisonment, all suspended except for 15 years, with the possibility of parole, for sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree.

Katmag was ordered to spend the 15 years without the possibility of parole; he was given credit for time served. After completing the prison term, he will be placed on 10 years of probation.

Narcis was given credit for time served. After completing the prison term, he will be placed on 10 years of probation.

Katmag and Narcis were required to pay all court costs and fees and register in the CNMI Sex Offender Registry, among other conditions, during their probation.

Katmag pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, while Narcis pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree.

As part of the plea deals, the Office of the Attorney General dropped the remaining charges against the two.

Katmag sexually abused a 6-year-old girl between Dec 1, 2016, and May 27, 2017, on Saipan.

Narcis sexually abused a 7-year-old girl on May 21, 2016, on Rota.

In Narcis’ case, assistant attorney general Teri C. Tenorio recommended a maximum sentence of 15 years and six months, without the possibility of parole.

Tenorio noted that Narcis is a known sexual predator and a registered sex offender.

In this case, the prosecutor said Narcis sexually abused the girl twice. If the court sentences Narcis harshly, it will send a message to all sex offenders and deter other potential predators, Tenorio said.

Assistant public defender Shoshanah Epstein, counsel for Narcis, recommended a five-year prison term and 10 years of probation.

Epstein said Narcis is a young man who was addicted to both oxycodone and methamphetamine at the time of the incident.

Epstein said on the day of the incident, the defendant had smoked “ice,” taken multiple oxycodone pills, and smoked marijuana.

To reduce any chance of future criminal behavior, Narcis anticipates living alone on family land as a farmer, she said.

“He plans to avoid the villages entirely to the extent possible, to grow his own food, and to live a simple and sustainable life off the grid and away from society,” Epstein said.

Katmag was arrested in May 2017 after the Division of Youth Services staff received an anonymous call that he sexually abused a 6-year-old girl.

Rota police arrested Narcis on May 21, 2016, after the girl’s mother filed a complaint of child molestation against Narcis. The mother learned of the incident after the girl told her that Lizama touched her privates.

Narcis is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree in 2008. As a sex offender, Narcis is prohibited to be anywhere with minors. At the time he was arrested, Narcis was employed as a community worker at the Rota Municipal Council.