Roberto’s 3rd alleged victim completes testimony

The third alleged victim completed yesterday her testimony in the ongoing jury trial in federal court of 41-year-old Raymond B. Roberto.

After the 16-year-old girl’s testimony, the prosecution called to the witness stand the 19-year-old cousin of the first alleged victim. The witness will resume her testimony this morning, Thursday.

The third alleged victim recounted during cross-examination by Roberto’s lead counsel, David J. Lujan, that during a Sept. 11, 2013, interview with FBI agents, she told them that Roberto picked her and two other girls in Kagman in April 2013 and brought them to the Parkville Motel in Gualo Rai, where they had a foursome.

The girl said Roberto instructed her not to tell anyone about it as he may go to jail.

The girl agreed with Lujan that during another interview with FBI agents, she talked about Roberto picking them up on a truck near the CYC Store in Kagman. She said when they reached the Capitol Hill Store, her two friends got down to buy drinks but she and Roberto stayed in the truck.

The girl said she does not know if she told FBI agents during the Aug. 12, 2013, interview about them buying drinks at the store before going to the Parkville Motel.

The girl frequently asked Lujan to repeat his questions. After replying to some questions, she would look at U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, who is presiding over the trial.

The girl said she could not remember why Roberto paid each of them $100 after having sex at Parkville Motel.

She denied knowing a certain Darlene Halstead. She also denied that Halstead instructed her to get rid of her cell phone.

The girl agreed with Lujan that the U.S. government has been paying her allowance and per diem during their stay in a shelter and for testifying in the case.

After the girl’s testimony, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami S. Badawy called to the stand the 19-year-old cousin of the first alleged victim.

Badawy asked the witness, among other things, about a typewritten note she made on Oct. 3, 2013, and her handwritten letter to “Presiding Judge” dated Jan. 2, 2014.

When asked to clarify a certain paragraph in the typewritten note, the witness said she never confided to the first alleged victim that she had sex with Roberto.

The defense did not object to the prosecution’s request to admit the typewritten note as evidence.

On the handwritten letter to “Presiding Judge,” the witness said it was her idea to write that letter. She said she told her mother about her letter, but apparently someone called attorney Joaquin Torres and a lawmaker came and took her letter.

Torres is Lujan’s co-counsel for Roberto. Rep. Chris Leon Guerrero (Cov-Saipan) is a private investigator for the defense.

The witness has yet to explain the contents of her note and letter and who “Presiding Judge” is, as Manglona called the counsels to a sidebar discussion.

Manglona then called for a 15-minute recess. After the break at 2:58pm, Manglona informed the jurors about some unavoidable circumstances. She called a recess for the day and ordered the jurors to return today, Thursday, for the resumption of the trial at 8am.

Roberto, a former acting director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife, is on trial for three counts of enticing three minors to engage in prostitution and one count of witness tampering.