Benedetto joins US Attorney’s Office

Federal Ombudsman James Benedetto is joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Saipan, as federal agencies are beefing up their staff to improve law enforcement in the CNMI in line with the federalization law’s transition period.

The addition of Benedetto and lawyer Kirk Schuler brings to four the number of federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Saipan—a first. The U.S. Attorney’s Office on the island used to have a maximum of just three assistant U.S. attorneys.

U.S. Attorney for Guam and the NMI Leonardo M. Rapadas announced the addition of Benedetto and Schuler to their Saipan office in a press briefing yesterday.

Rapadas said the expansion of their office on the island, which coincides with the recently announced addition of several federal investigators, is part of the federal government’s ongoing mission to improve law enforcement in the Northern Marianas and to prepare for the military expansion in Guam.

Benedetto and Schuler will begin work as assistant U.S. attorneys on Sept. 15, 2008.

According to Rapadas, Benedetto brings to the office “his extensive prosecutorial experience, his reputation of inviolable integrity, as well as a deep knowledge of and affection for this community.”

Rapadas said Benedetto would greatly bolster the Justice Department’s ability to confront the CNMI’s most pressing issues, including public corruption, human trafficking and smuggling, drug interdiction, and the transition to a federally-controlled system of immigration.

“His integrity is beyond question. He probably got some people mad in the CNMI, but I think that’s the functions of his quality of work and his integrity,” he said. “One other important thing about Jim is he’s been a long-time resident of the CNMI and really cares about the CNMI.”

Benedetto served as a prosecutor in Alaska for five years. He moved to Saipan and worked as an assistant attorney general for three years. He then became a federal ombudsman.

Rapadas said Schuler, who arrived on the island with his wife just a few days ago, would be handling some immigration cases. He said Schuler’s presence is funded by the Department of the Interior’s immigration initiative. He said there will be some immigration issues that will be coming up next year.

Schuler comes from Iowa where he worked for Judge Mark W. Bennett in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

Before working for Bennett, Schuler worked for Justice Mark S. Cody of the Iowa Supreme Court.

Benedetto said he is very happy to have the opportunity to continue to serve the United States and the people of the CNMI.

“It’s been a dream of mine for quite some time,” Benedetto said.

He said the most attractive thing about his new job is that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has the resources to prosecute cases the way he thinks they should be prosecuted.

“Which means if you need a follow up investigation, you can get it. If you need an expert, you can get it. If you need a report or a test, you can get it. They have the resources and are committed to doing what they need to do,” Benedetto said.

Schuler said he is excited to be part of the U.S Attorney’s Office and Rapadas’ team.

“I am very thrilled to be able to work with three seasoned attorneys in the Saipan Branch office,” said Schuler, referring to Benedetto and the current assistant U.S. attorneys Eric O’Malley and Beverly R. McCallum.

Rapadas said the U.S. Attorney’s Office is being expanded due to the DOJ’s expectation that there is going to be “growth” in the CNMI in the next few years.

He disclosed that some of their federal sister agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration are also expanding in the CNMI.

“Over the last several months, I have had the opportunity to speak with special agents in charge with ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] and IRS [Internal Revenue Service] and they both expressed a desire to increase their presence in the CNMI,” Rapadas said.

He said all these is part of the DOJ’s ongoing mission to prosecute to the fullest extent those who violate federal laws in the CNMI.