$100K bench warrant issued against Norita

The Superior Court issued a bench warrant for $100,000 for Nicanor Norita, a former probate estate administrator of the Rosa Flores Norita estate, who refused to show up in court for a status conference pursuant to a subpoena.

Camacho issued the bench warrant to immediately arrest Norita on sight for failing to attend the status conference to address the distribution of Jacinto Taman Flores share of $1.3 million in the Antonio estate.

“The court is very much familiar with Norita’s continued efforts to frustrate this court’s efforts in ensuring that its order ordering the distribution of the share of Antonio’s Estate to its sole heir, Jacinto, is carried out,” Camacho stated in the warrant.

Norita allegedly initially resisted arrest by the U.S Marshals Service at his home in Chalan Kanoa but then later voluntarily followed the marshals to court after some coaxing by the officers.

During the show-cause hearing yesterday, Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho commended the professionalism of the U.S Marshals who were assigned to carry out the warrant.

At the hearing yesterday, Camacho ordered Norita to explain why he was unable to attend the status conference and to hand over the bank book that allows the transfer of funds from the estate to Flores.

Under oath, Norita told the court that his home was burglarized last Friday and the investigation remains ongoing.

Among the things that were stolen, Norita said, was the satchel that held the bank book, his passport, and other important documents.

Norita said the burglar broke into his home through a screen door with a crowbar.

Camacho quashed Norita’s bench warrant but also issued an order to authorize estate attorney Vince Torres to go to the bank and request the issuance of a check of $1.3 million to Jacinto Flores.

According to court records, Norita filed a petition in June 2018 for letters of administration and for his appointment as administrator of his mother’s estate, the estate of Rosa Flores Norita. The petition listed Nicanor Norita and his brother, Juan Flores Norita, as heirs.

Jacinto Taman Flores filed a notice as an heir, claiming he was a mwei mwei heir of the estate of Rosa Flores Norita.

Mwei mwei, a Refaluwasch way of adopting children, means a person can inherit from an estate as if they are a natural child.

Juan Flores Norita filed a notice of acceptance of Jacinto Flores’ mwei mwei heirship claim.

The estate of Rosa Flores Norita is a sub-estate of the large Maria Mangabao estate, which received $19.3 million from the CNMI government over the taking of the estate’s land in Chalan Kanoa in 1993.

Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo issued the final distribution of the Mangabao estate to the heirs in January 2018.