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Clemency pending for man imprisoned for sexual abuse of a minor
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Posted on Nov 12 2021
The grant of clemency for a man who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for sexually abusing a 7-year-old back in 2016 remains pending with the CNMI Office of the Governor.
This was learned during a status conference on Price Shoiter’s lawsuit against the Department of Corrections and its former and current officials.
According to Leslier Healer, who represented DOC Commissioner Wally Villagomez during the status conference, the clemency application for Shoiter is still pending in the office of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.
Because the settlement agreement discussed in this suit was contingent on the governor’s approval of the plaintiff’s application for conditional clemency, Shoiter’s lawyer, Michael Dotts, told the court that it is not necessary to resume settlement discussions until the clemency issue is resolved. Dotts asked the court to set a deadline and status conference for the defendants to resolve the clemency issue.
U.S. District Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy set a status conference in the case for Dec. 2, at 1:30pm and ordered counsel to meet and discuss the issue on the clemency.
According to Saipan Tribune archives, Shoiter, through Dotts, executed a settlement agreement on Feb. 4, 2021, in the lawsuit he filed against DOC and its officers for allegedly denying him medical care while incarcerated. The defendants all signed the settlement agreement by Feb. 11, 2021.
The settlement agreement was contingent on the governor’s approval of the plaintiff’s application for conditional clemency. (In July 2021, the CNMI Parole Board recommended clemency for Shoiter).
If the governor does not grant the conditional clemency, then pursuant to Section 4.1.3 of the settlement agreement, the settlement becomes “null and void” and the case will be placed back on track for trial. As of Nov. 1, 2021, nearly nine months after the plaintiff signed the settlement agreement, conditional clemency had not been granted.
According to court documents, Shoiter was serving a 10-year prison term for sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl, when he sued Corrections officials for breaching a previous settlement agreement.
