2 men get prison sentences in separate ‘ice’ cases

Superior Court Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja has slapped a two-year prison term against a man for illegal possession of methamphetamine or “ice” and for receiving a stolen property on Tinian, and sentenced another man to three years imprisonment for illegal possession of “ice” on Saipan.

Naraja sentenced Christopher Boki Evangelista to two years imprisonment for illegal possession of a controlled substance and one year imprisonment for receiving stolen property.

In a separate order, Naraja imposed a three-year prison sentence on Jian Feng for illegal possession of a controlled substance.

In Evangelista’s case, Naraja said the sentence in the matter of receiving stolen property shall run concurrently with the sentence in the illegal possession case. It means that Evangelista shall serve only a total of two years for both cases.

Evangelista was given credit for time served. He is expected to complete his prison term on Jan. 24, 2018.

Evangelista, 54, was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $100 in court assessment fee.

At a bench trial on Jan. 14, 2016, Naraja found Evangelista guilty of receiving stolen property. The judge accepted the parties’ stipulation to impose the maximum sentence of one year.

On Feb. 1, 2016, the Office of the Attorney General charged Evangelista with one count of trafficking of controlled substance and a count of illegal possession of a controlled substance.

Evangelista and counsel signed a plea deal to resolve the offenses without going to trial. He pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a controlled substance and accepted the maximum sentence of one-year imprisonment for receiving stolen property.

The government agreed to dismiss the trafficking of controlled substance charge.

Evangelista was one of seven persons arrested on Tinian on Feb. 12, 2016.

Police said during a controlled buy operation on Jan. 6, 2016 their informant managed to purchase $50 worth of “ice” from Evangelista and two others in front of Poker Club.

Police said their informant purchased $50 worth of “ice” from Evangelista on Feb. 1, 2016.

In April 2015, police arrested Evangelista and a woman in connection with a burglary at Island Store on Tinian in March 2015 in which 125 cartons of cigarettes worth about $4,000 were stolen.

Police’s investigation led to the identification of Evangelista and two others for allegedly conspiring to sell cartons of stolen cigarette at various stores on the island.

In Feng’s case, Naraja sentenced the defendant to three years imprisonment, with credit for time served. The defendant is expected to be released on Dec. 13, 2019.

Feng, 30, was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $100 in court assessment fee.

The OAG charged Feng with one count of illegal possession of a controlled substance. He signed a plea deal with the government and pleaded guilty.

According to the factual basis of the plea agreement, on Oct. 27, 2016 on Saipan, Feng knowingly possessed crystal methamphetamine.

CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force arrested Feng in December 2016.