‘Tour guide planned Marpi robbery’

Jazzy Kulas Rosokow, a beach volleyball player who works as a tour guide, planned the robbery at Banzai Cliff Road that injured a female tourist, according to court documents.

Police said it was Rosokow’s idea to rob tourists in Marpi after his co-defendant, Alvin Jacob Iguel Blas, asked how they could get money.

Rosokow, 39, was arrested on Saturday morning after police learned he was the driver of a white Hyundai Accent, a rental car that was used during the robbery last May 14.

Police arrested Blas on the night of May 14.

Another tourist managed to take a video of a man fleeing the crime scene.

Rosokow, a tour guide for Saipan Adventure, was taken yesterday before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho for a bail hearing on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and disturbing the peace.

Camacho kept the $100,000 cash bail he initially imposed in issuing the arrest warrant against Rosokow. Preliminary hearing will be on Thursday at 9am.

A private counsel will be appointed for Rosokow as his co-defendant, Blas, is already represented by the Office of the Public Defender.

Assistant attorney general Jonathan Wilbersheid said that Rosokow’s case will be consolidated with that of Blas’.

In his declaration filed in Superior Court, police detective Jackson K. Davis disclosed that in their interview with Blas at the Department of Corrections last May 15, Blas confessed that he had gone to the Tanapag LG Apartment at noon last May 14 to check on Rosokow, who is his brother-in-law.

When Blas asked how they could get some money, Rosokow allegedly came up with an idea to proceed to Grotto in Marpi to rob tourists.

Rosokow allegedly told Blas that Grotto was the best place to do the crime since tourists always leave their belongings in their cars.

Blas told police that prior to entering the Marpi area, he pulled over south of the Buddhist temple, then Rosokow drove the white car. Blas told Rosokow not to drive to Grotto because there was a security guard there and that they might get caught.

Rosokow drove toward Banzai Cliff and when he parked behind a tree on the road shoulder of Banzai Cliff Road, they saw a Mustang convertible with tourists parked on the shoulder of the road.

Acting on Rosokow’s instructions, Blas waited until the tourists got out of their car before approaching them.

Blas also disclosed that he and Rosokow then went to the YUTA Poker in San Roque, where Rosokow changed a $100 bill for $40. Blas left the place with the white car, while Rosokow stayed back.

At 3:20pm last May 15, two detectives went to YUTA Poker and reviewed the surveillance footage, during which the detectives confirmed Blas’s statements that a white four-door sedan going southbound on Chalan Pale Arnold Road pulled into the parking lot of YUTA Poker.

Police detective Buddy Igitol saw footage of a man wearing a dark blue shirt with rectangle design on the front, a blue visor with what appeared to be fake hair attached on the top, and carrying a light colored backpack. The man, later identified as Rosokow, exited the white car and entered the poker arcade. Rosokow was then seen exiting the arcade and walking to the driver side of the white car and handed something to the driver, Blas. The white car then left, heading south on Chalan Pale Arnold Road.

The cashier told detectives that the man, later identified by detectives as Rosokow, handed her $100 and asked for change.

The cashier gave Rosokow five $20 bills and then the suspect left.

At 12:12am on May 15, detectives Igitol and George David arrived at LG Apartment in Tanapag, where they met Rosokow.

Igitol allegedly saw Rosokow wearing a blue visor with fake hair attached to the top of the visor.