Manglona, Indalecio ask OAG, USAO to investigate, prosecute Hocog

Sen. Paul A. Manglona and Victor B. Hocog

Sen. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) and military veteran Fabian M. Indalecio have requested the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the CNMI Office of the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute Sen. Victor B. Hocog (R-Rota) for allegedly threatening them with violence and seeking to inflict physical violence upon them in separate Senate sessions.

Manglona and Indalecio submitted a joint letter dated Friday, Oct. 28, and addressed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and CNMI OAG, asking for the investigation.

Manglona and Indalecio are accusing Hocog of committing nine criminal offenses: deprivation of rights under color of law, assault, criminal coercion, disturbing the peace, misconduct in public office, making a terroristic threat, crime of terrorism, senior citizen physical abuse and/or mental cruelty, and stalking.

Last Feb. 28, Manglona and Hocog engaged in a shouting match during the recess of the Senate special session intended to tackle the Impeachment Rules.

Something Manglona said at that time triggered the shouting matching match in the vernacular with Hocog. Hocog has yet to comment regarding that incident.

Last Oct. 24, a commotion occurred during the start of the Senate’s session after Indalecio, whose testimony at the session was cut for being “out or order,” called the Senate “a corrupted group,” angering Hocog. Indalecio called the police to file a complaint against the senator. No one was arrested.

Hocog, in an interview after that session, said he had no intention of assaulting Indalecio at that time as he had just stood up.

In their letter to the USAO and OAG, Manglona and Indalecio said that Hocog committed the offenses in the midst of their efforts, as members of the public, to publicly speak and comment during public hearings.

Manglona and Indalecio said that, although they promptly reported the incidents to the Department of Public Safety, nothing appears to have happened or been generated to institute a filing of criminal charges or indictment against Hocog.

They said many constituents have expressed frustration and exasperation at being themselves criminally victimized with seemingly little if any follow-up DPS investigation, OAG prosecution, or other consequences for the criminal perpetrators.

Manglona and Indalecio said this perception will “unfortunately be perpetuated, if not exacerbated, with heightened chilling effect, on the CNMI community-at-large—should a high ranking public official like Hocog be perceived” as being permitted to avoid or escape with seeming impunity of the federal and CNMI criminal justice systems.

They said prior follow-up efforts, via DPS law enforcement officials, have been ineffective and somewhat frustrating.