3 police officers to be suspended

Department of Public Safety commissioner Santiago F. Tudela said yesterday that he will be suspending three officers from the department, two of whom were recently arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges that they have been stealing seized drugs and peddling them.

Tudela said he will suspend police detectives Eric John Tudela Mafnas and Charley K. Patris, both members of the DPS Special Investigation Section, and police officer Edward Maratita, who is currently facing 33 charges, including illegal use of public supplies, services, time, and personnel; theft; and theft by deception.

Tudela said procedures for suspension without pay require him to submit documents to the Office of Personnel Management and the Attorney General Office for review and approval.

“Once the AG and [OPM] approve that, then those two [Mafnas and Patris] will be suspended without pay until their case is resolved, because right now they’re actually still not guilty…if they are proven guilty, then of course I have to terminate them,” he said.

Tudela said Maratita’s suspension would be in effect this weekend, and is also just awaiting approval from OPM and AGO.

Mafnas and Patris were granted temporary release on unsecured bonds. Tudela said they can still report to the department until the suspensions are approved. Tudela said they did not report for work yesterday.

“I cannot just say ‘starting today I don’t want you guys to come in,’” he said. “I need to follow proper procedures.”

He said he expects the approval of the suspensions in “a matter of days.”

The FBI collared Mafnas and Patris in a case that federal prosecutors call one of the worst corruption cases in the Commonwealth. The alleged criminal activities have reportedly jeopardized local prosecution of drug cases.

The FBI tagged Mafnas as the organizer and leader of the criminal activity, accusing the policeman of stealing from the DPS some 46 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly referred to as “ice,” on one occasion.

On Guam, the FBI also nabbed Carl Cabrera, who was charged for allegedly conspiring with Mafnas and Patris in peddling ice, according to federal prosecutor Patrick Smith.

The object of the alleged conspiracy was to sell the illegal drugs that were stolen from the CNMI police department’s evidence room, Smith said in a news conference.

Tudela said the DPS would implement improvements in handling evidence.

“We’re going to have to evaluate our evidence room and see that we do some improvement on how we handle valuable items such as jewelry, cash, and drugs,” he said.

He said he knew that Mafnas and Patris were being investigated, and as a result, had altered their assignments.

“That’s why I put them on administrative assignment,” he said, citing that he knew they could be charged in the future.

Tudela, who became commissioner last October, reiterated his goal of ridding the department of corruption, and indicated that that the arrests is a “wake-up call” for other DPS personnel who are or will be involved in corrupt activities.

“I’ve mentioned earlier that one of my goals is to rid this department of corrupt officers,” he said. “So these arrests is like a wake up call for those officers who might [engage] in corrupt activities.”

Tudela said he is currently unaware of other corrupt activities within the department but stressed that if reported, the case would be investigated by Internal Affairs and then referred to the AGO for filing.

He explained that, if an officer is charged with a misdemeanor, the individual can still remain as an employee of the department. “It’s up to my call whether to give him three days, 15 days or 20 days [suspension]…there are certain guidelines, depending on the type of action.”

Once charged a felony, the officer would automatically be terminated.