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Ex-convict gets 1 year in prison for punching brother after argument
An ex-convict was slapped yesterday with a maximum of one-year imprisonment for punching his brother after an argument over a dog.
Mariano W. Rasiang, 38, pleaded guilty to assault and battery as part of a plea agreement.
Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho sentenced Rasiang to the full maximum of one year in prison, with the first nine months to be served without the possibility of parole.
Rasiang was given credit for 77 days of time served. After completing the prison term, he will be placed on supervised probation for three years.
Rasiang was ordered to pay a $25 court costs, $300 of probation costs, and to perform 300 hours of community service.
According to the factual basis of the plea deal, Rasiang punched his brother, John William Rasiang, on March 12, 2015, on Saipan.
Police said the fight arose when John Rasiang scolded the defendant for bringing into their house someone else’s dog that has a skin disease.
The defendant later repeatedly punched his brother, until the latter passed out. When the victim regained consciousness, the defendant allegedly chased him with a knife.
The Office of the Attorney General agreed not to use the plea or the facts in this case to revoke Rasiang’s probation in a previous criminal conviction.
Camacho ordered the clerk of court to fax or provide a copy of the judgment to U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
Rasiang is a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia.
Camacho noted that the defendant is a repeat offender.
According to court papers pertaining to his 2012 conviction, Rasiang’s father called for police assistance because his son had become violent, slamming the house’s doors, hitting cars, and shouting.
The father disclosed that the defendant hears voices, and that he is scared to return to his house when his son is there because he has threatened to kill him and his wife.
