‘Jucutan admitted stealing personal information’

U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command Special Agent Elizabeth H. Smith testified on Friday that during their interview, Jordan M. Jucutan issued a sworn statement admitting that he stole personal information from 18 potential soldiers to obtain money.

As this developed, the U.S. government rested its case on Friday and defense counsel Pamela Brown Blackburn began calling their witnesses.

The jury trial of Jucutan will resume today, Monday, at 8am in the U.S. District Court for the NMI.

The defendant, a teacher and a former member of the U.S. Army Reserves, is facing eight charges for allegedly engaging in a scheme to defraud and to obtain money by falsely claiming he referred soldiers to enlist in the Army Reserve through the Army Reserve Recruiter Assistant Program (AR-RAP). The charges are four counts of wire fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.

Shown by assistant U.S. attorney Russell Lorfing with a copy of Jucutan’s sworn statement, Smith said according to Jucutan in his narrative statement he was “young at that time and being spontaneous.”

“I know what I did was wrong and I am truly sorry for what I have done,” said Jucutan in his sworn statement.

Smith said she was present when Jucutan made the sworn statement and signed the waiver of his constitutional rights at the Federal Bureau of Investigation office on Saipan on March 31, 2015.

In response to Lorfing’s question, Smith said during their interview, the defendant was not arrested at that time and if he stated he wanted an attorney, the interview would have been stopped.

Smith described the interview as pleasant as Jucutan is friendly and likable.

The special agent said there was no point when they yelled at Jucutan and that he was given a break during the interview.

Smith said it was Jucutan who typed his narrative statement.

In the statement, Jucutan said there were 18 potential soldiers that he recruited that were not legitimate.

Jucutan said he stole the personal information from potential soldiers during the day of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test by giving them a paper to fill out.

The defendant said the potential soldiers would put in their full name, date of birth, and Social Security number, which are required when inputting potential soldiers into AR-RAP.

He said the potential soldiers wrote in the paper without knowing what it was for.

Some of them, the defendant said, had their information stolen through a “recruiter” who gave him some potential soldiers’ personal information and told him that he should put them on his system.

Jucutan said all of his recruits were not illegitimate.

At the beginning, Jucutan said, he was really active and willing to help out potential soldiers that he would go out and ask people if they wanted to join the military.

Jucutan said he would help them study by giving them an ASVAB book that he had then.

Jucutan said his life changed when his then-girlfriend, who is now his wife, told him that she was pregnant.

“I dropped everything. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I didn’t know if I was to run away, do an abortion, or stay with her. There were a lot of things on my mind then,” he said.

Jucutan said he decided to stay with his then-girlfriend and now wife and help her raise their child.

He said they did not have much money then.

“So my reason for doing such thing was because I needed money for my baby. I wanted to raise her up not worrying about food or transportation. I wanted the best for her,” he said.

Smith said Jucutan admitted that he lied in his previous statement during the first interview on March 5, 2015, because he was scared of the outcome.

Smith said when she asked why the 18 potential soldiers were not legitimate, Jucutan answered that he stole their personal information without them knowing.

Smith said Jucutan explained that he would be at the Army Reserve Center in Puerto Rico for the ASVAB test.

Smith said according to the defendant sometimes recruiters would not be able to make it to Saipan so they would call him and ask him if they could take care of it.

Smith said Jucutan stated that potential soldiers would come and take the ASVAB test and that he would be there with a blank form that the recruiter provided him.

In his statement, Jucutan said he would provide the potential soldiers the blank form, where they would write their personal information down.

After that, Jucutan said, he had the potential soldiers filled out another paper, what would be for him to put into the AR-RAP system.

Asked what he was doing at the Reserve Center, Jucutan said he would be there to act on behalf of the recruiter.

He said the recruiter would be in Guam and could not fly to Saipan.

“When the recruiter was here he would give me extra blank forms when I assisted them. I used those forms for the ASVAB,” he said.

Jucutan agreed that taking the information from the recruiter was wrong, and that he was not entitled to any benefits received.

“At the time I thought it was OK to do such things, but I know it’s wrong,” he said.

Document & Packaging Brothers Inc. (Docupak) allegedly paid Jucutan $17,000 in compensation after nine of his nominees signed enlistment papers and shipped to boot camp.

Docupak was a contractor to administer AR-RAP.

Jucutan, however, stated that he did not plan with any recruiters or anyone else to steal people’s information.

Jucutan also denied that the recruiter provided him any money for the people that he entered into Docupak.

Jucutan said an agent told him that he obtained a total of $17,000 for AR-RAP, but he only remembers receiving $8,000.

Jucutan said he nominated 38 into the AR-RAP system and that 15 of those provided him their personal information.

Jucutan said of those 38, he stole personal information from 23.

Jucutan agreed that he got paid money for nine recruits and out of those nine, four provided him with their personal information.

Jucutan said he stole personal information from five out of those nine.

Smith said five individuals were interviewed and denied providing their personal information to Jucutan.

Jucutan said he stole the personal information from those five.

Smith said he asked Jucutan why he was telling the truth now and that the defendant replied that he does not want to get into more trouble.

Smith said she did not threaten or coerce Jucutan to give statements.

Lorfing played brief video clips when Jucutan was interviewed.

Smith said Jucutan was paid for nine recruits, including five that he stole information from.

Smith said Jucutan stole information from 18 or 23 potential recruits or those that are not legitimate.

After Smith completed her testimony, Lorfing then called back FBI special agent Joseph McDoulett, who testified, among other things, as to the dates when Jucutan allegedly input the personal information to AR-RAP system and the payments he received through wires.

McDoulett said during the March 31 interview, Jucutan admitted stealing personal information from five people and four of which he was charged.

Lorfing then announced that the U.S. government rests.

Blackburn then moved to dismiss the charges. She argued that relied on the previous briefs that she filed plus the evidence that were presented in court.

Lorfing said in addition to the U.S. government’s brief in opposing the motion to dismiss, they have proven that the U.S. government has been defrauded considering that Docupak was paid by the U.S. Army.

Blackburn said Docupak was the one paying Jucutan and not the U.S. government.

Senior Judge Alex R. Munson denied the motion. He said there was not only sufficient evidence to sustain a conviction but overwhelming evidence for the jury to decide as to all eight counts.

On Saturday, Blackburn started calling witnesses, including Naomi Taisacan, a former U.S. Army Reserve member.

On Lorfing’s cross-examination, Taisacan said stealing people’s personal information is wrong and illegal.

Taisacan said it appeared during interview by investigators that Jucutan looked intimidated.

Asked by Lorfing upon showing a video clip of the interview, Taisacan said it appeared that Jucutan was not coerced.

Taisacan said her opinion does not change that these charges are absurd.

Taisacan said she does not believe that Jucutan stole personal information as there are a lot of circumstances and probably the nominees just forgot about giving their personal information as these happened a long time ago.

Taisacan said during their high school years, it’s almost common knowledge that recruiters get money.

Taisacan said she personally knows Jucutan as truthful, never a dishonest person, and a great person.

Taisacan said Jucutan is only human and people make mistakes.

Taisacan said it appeared that Jucutan was not coerced but based on her experience, the possibility is still there.

Taisacan was recruited in 2007 to join the Reserve.

After Taisacan, Blackburn called Army Reserve Sgt. Louie Atalig, who is now working as an environment specialist at the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality.

Atalig said he is a squad leader and now serving 14 years in the Army. He said Jucutan used to be in his squad.

“We bonded closely. He became like a brother to me,” he said. “Just looking at him, makes me laugh. He was always there working, boosting our morale. He’s awesome,” he said.

Atalig said when he goes to war he likes Jucutan to be on his side.

He described Jucutan as trustworthy and a helpful person.

Atalig said when he read in the newspaper about the charges, he was shocked because he knows that Jucutan would not do it.

When Saipan Tribune left the courtroom on Saturday, Atalig was still on the witness stand.

On Thursday, after the testimony of Commonwealth Health Center administrative assistant Nazario-Omar Ajoste, Lorfing called back FBI special agent McDoulette to the witness stand.

After the special agent, Lorfing called Elfleda Santos, also known as Elfleda Castro.

Lorfing recalled McDoulette and then called its 8th witness, Luis Andrew C. Macaranas, a teacher’s aide at Hopwood Junior High School.

Lorfing also recalled Elfleda Santos or Elfleda Castro.