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Rota mayor pleads not guilty anew
Similar to his federal court case, Rota Mayor Efraim Atalig pleaded not guilty the charges filed against him by the Office of the Attorney General during his arraignment hearing last Friday in Superior Court.
Also pleading not guilty last Friday was Department Public Safety resident director Eusebio Manglona, 43, who, like Aalig, was also charged with theft and misconduct in public office.
Atalig and Manglona are now set for a status conference on Oct. 26.
Dennis Nie represented Atalig, while Jack Torres represented Manglona.
Last September, the Office of the Attorney General filed criminal charges in Superior Court against 57-year-old Atalig and seven other Rota municipal officials in connection with a Guam political rally they allegedly attended.
The six other defendants are Labor Department resident director Dexter Apatang, 46; Public Works Department resident director Vanessa Charfauros, 42; Commerce Department resident director Dean Manglona, 35; resident director for the Department of Finance Josepha Manglona, 56; resident deputy commissioner for the Department of Fire and Emergency and Medical Services Dennis Mendiola, 38; and resident director for the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Magdalena Mesngon, 49.
In the local court case, the information charged Atalig and the seven other co-defendants each with theft and misconduct in public office.
According to a previous article on the Saipan Tribune, in June 2018, Atalig allegedly arranged a government-funded trip from Rota to Guam for himself and 12 other persons, including Rota municipal employees, by means of false claims and under fraudulent pretenses.
