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Sagana wants his jury trial rescheduled
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Posted on Nov 02 2022
A man who was recently brought to the CNMI from Wisconsin to face federal charges has again asked to reschedule his jury trial, as his defense wants to hire a digital forensics expert to testify in his favor.
Bonifacio “Boni” Sagana, through his lawyer, Richard Miller, has asked the federal court to reschedule his jury trial to March 14, 2023 or on a date convenient to the court to allow the defense to thoroughly examine hundreds of pages of discovery, and hire a digital forensic expert.
“The reason for the request is that examination of the many hundreds of pages of discovery, and the work of the defense investigator in September, made it clear that an adequate defense will require the services of a digital forensic expert,” Miller said.
He said it took him time to find an expert with the requisite training and experience who is available to work at reasonable rates.
“Depending on the expert’s findings, the defense may need to file additional motions,” Miller added.
According to Miller, he had discussed the request for a continuance with assistant U.S. Attorney Albert Flores, adding that the U.S. government does not object to a continuance to March 14, 2023, and an amendment to the scheduling order.
According to court documents, the federal court issued an arrest warrant for Sagana last Jan. 31, 2022, after he was indicted by a grand jury on accusations of helping individuals fraudulently obtain a CNMI driver’s license using a counterfeited U.S. immigration visa number.
On May 16, 2022, he was arrested in Wisconsin and was transported to the CNMI where he has been released on his own recognizance
He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to unlawfully produce an identification document—a CNMI driver’s license.
Back in October, Sagana asked the court to reschedule his trial for similar reasons.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the U.S. District Court for the NMI previously granted his request and continued his jury trial from Oct. 4 to Dec. 13.
