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Tim must give passport back 24 hours after returning from Guam
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Posted on Nov 09 2008
Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez is required to return his passport to the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the NMI within 24 hours of his return to Saipan whenever he travels to Guam.
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson also required Villagomez to advise and request for his passport from the federal court no later than 24 hours prior to his intended departure to Guam.
Munson issued such requirements in his recent order that granted the lieutenant governor’s request to travel to Guam where his counsel, David J. Lujan, is staying.
Villagomez, through Lujan, and the U.S. government, through assistant U.S. attorney Eric O’Malley, filed a stipulation in court to amend Villagomez’s bail conditions to allow the lieutenant governor to travel between Saipan and Guam for the purpose of preparing for trial.
The trial of Villagomez along with his co-defendants has been set for March 23, 2009. Lujan’s main office is in Guam.
Munson agreed that due to scheduling conflicts that may arise between now and trial, Lujan requires the flexibility to meet with Villagomez in Guam to prepare for motions hearing, to review discovery, and to prepare for trial.
The judge ordered Villagomez to advise and collaborate with the Office of U.S. Probation relative to his travel to and from Guam.
The deadline for Villagomez to file pre-trial motions was set no later than Nov. 10, 2008.
Villagomez, former Commerce Secretary James Santos, Joaquina Santos, and former Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Anthony Guerrero were indicted with conspiring to bilk CUC out of thousands of dollars through business deals involving needless chemical purchases for CUC.
Villagomez and the Santos couple maintained their innocence against the charges. Guerrero had already entered a guilty plea.
