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FBI to boost its presence in NMI
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Posted on Aug 27 2008
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is poised to boost its presence in the CNMI with the addition of new agents to its local office, an FBI spokesman confirmed Wednesday.
In an interview, FBI Special Agent Brandon Simpson said that two of the agents now with the bureau’s CNMI office are preparing to leave for new assignments but four will replace them, likely by the end of the year. This move will give the FBI six agents in the CNMI, compared to the four it has here now.
One task among many assigned to the four agents coming to the CNMI, Simpson said, will be investigating public corruption.
“These agents will be working on public corruption investigations,” Simpson said, adding that their work will not be confined to that role. “There’s no particular criminal threat that we’re responding to with adding them to the office but we’re certainly always looking to add resources where they may be effective.”
The FBI’s decision to increase its staff in the CNMI comes after an extensive investigation by the bureau’s local office into an alleged scheme involving Lt. Gov. Timothy Villagomez and three others to bilk thousands out of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. through needless chemical purchases.
Villagomez and two of the others indicted earlier this month—former Commerce chief James Santos and his wife Joaquina Santos—pleaded not guilty in federal court. Former CUC director Anthony Guerrero has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in the case and is expected to testify under the terms of a plea agreement. A jury trial will begin in October.
