Lawyer sends harsh letter to Fund’s Villagomez

Attorney Ramon K. Quichocho, on behalf of a retiree, has sent a harsh letter to NMI Retirement Fund administrator Richard S. Villagomez over re-computation of retirement annuity issue.

Quichocho, as counsel for Francisco C. Deleon Guerrero, told Villagomez that what he did to many retirees was an “evil thing” as he accused the administrator of “wreaking havoc in some people’s lives.”

Quichocho even wished that Sen. Pete P. Reyes (R-Saipan) should tell “screw you” to Villagomez. The lawyer also threatened the administrator with lawsuits.

Villagomez sent a letter to Quichocho dated June 4, 2012 over Deleon Guerrero’s appeal regarding the Fund’s re-computation to correct Deleon Guerrero’s retirement annuity.

In the letter, Villagomez acknowledged Deleon Guerrero’s concerns, but stated that the retiree was misinformed at the time he retired.

“We must, however, take these actions to recoup the amounts paid to him in error, even with the lapse of time because the amounts paid to him in error represent money that rightfully should fund someone else’s retirement in the future,” Villagomez stated, among other things.

In his reply to Villagomez on Friday, Quichocho found as ridiculous the administrator’s statements.

Quichocho told Villagomez that the correct and true fact is that the Fund has misinformed him (Villagomez) over 13 years later.

The lawyer said Villagomez is attempting to deprive many retirees of their rights without due process of law and in violation of the CNMI laws.

“I recommend you stop messing around with people’s lives. This is not funny!” Quichocho said.

On the error issue, Quichocho said it was only Villagomez who is claiming there is an error.

Quichocho said if that “someone else’s retirement in the future” means the lawyers for the Brown and Rudnick law firm that the Fund hired in the bankruptcy case, then he hopes that senator Reyes will not have the opportunity to tell him “screw you.”

“But, on the second thought, maybe he (Reyes) should,” said the lawyer, referring to Sen. Reyes’ use of crude language to Tinian Sen. Frank Cruz during last month’s public hearing.

Quichocho said Villagomez better not make adjustments of Deleon Guerrero’s pension or he will surely face lawsuits for deprivation of property without due process of law, for conversion, for theft, and for other causes of action.

“My client has the right to a hearing before you unilaterally steal, reduce, convert, and/or re-allocate for Brown & Rudnick, even a portion of his pension. My second-grader already understands that,” Quichocho said.

The lawyer asked Villagomez to stop “trying to abuse” the retirees to take their hard-earned pension to cover up the inexcusable loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for the bankruptcy case that should not have been filed in the first place.