Hamo gets 5 yrs. for role in burglary, rock throwing

Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho imposed yesterday a five-year prison term on Fiden Hamo, who pleaded guilty for involvement in a conspiracy to steal copper wires and other items from a warehouse in Afetnas and for throwing rocks at a house.

Hamo will serve the five years without the possibility of parole.

After completing his sentence, he will be placed on five years probation. If he violates any condition of his probation, he will be incarcerated again and will be made to serve in part or in whole the five years.

For his rock throwing case, Hamo was sentenced to one year in prison, which shall run concurrently with the sentence in the burglary and theft case.

Hamo was ordered to pay a $700 fine, $25 court fee, and $500 probation fee. He was ordered to pay restitution to the two victims in the two cases in an amount to be determined later, and perform 300 hours of community service.

Hamo pleaded guilty to burglary in the first case and criminal mischief in the second case as part of a plea deal.

Camacho said that Hamo entered into a deal with the prosecutors to serve only five to seven years in prison in exchange for testifying against his co-defendants, Sonny Babauta and Petrus Anastacio.

In addition, Camacho said, Hamo has cooperated and provided substantial information to CNMI and federal law enforcement that has led to the arrest of other criminals not already known.

The judge said that if he rejects the prosecutor’s recommendation of five years in prison, the court may undermine the police and prosecutors’ ability to close some cases or open new cases against other criminals not already known.

“The ability to make a deal is an essential tool used by the police and prosecutors to obtain information about murder cases, major drug dealers, criminal conspiracies, corrupt public officials and law enforcement,” Camacho said.

The judge said he finds the prosecutor’s recommendation to be reasonable and based on a larger plan.

A Superior Court jury has already found Hamo’s co-defendant, Sonny Babauta, guilty. He will be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2014.

Hamo and co-defendants Jeffrey Lizama and Matthias Salisban all signed a plea agreement with the government and pleaded guilty.

Camacho already sentenced Lizama and Salisban to the full maximum jail term of 10 years in prison.

According to the prosecution, on Dec. 18 and 19, 2012, Hamo twice entered the Han Nam warehouse, formerly known as the Onu Moda Factory, with Babauta, Lizama, and Salisban. They stole copper wires, power tools, and other items.

In the other case, on July 1, 2013, on Saipan, Hamo went to the house of Jeffrey Javier in Afetnas and started a verbal altercation with the latter. He then threw three rocks at Javier, almost hitting the victim. One rock hit the victim’s vehicle, causing damage.