Teregeyo sentenced to 11 months in prison

The U.S. District Court for the NMI has sentenced Vickilyn Manglona Teregeyo to 11 months in prison with credit for time served with no supervised release as well as the revocation of her supervised release.

The jail term is in connection with her repeated violations on the conditions of her supervised release, culminating in her failure to return to the HOPE Recovery Center. She also has a troubling pattern of noncompliance, which began in December 2023 when she tested positive for methamphetamine twice.

Teregeyo’s final disposition hearing was held late last Friday afternoon at the District Court in Gualo Rai under Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona.

Appearing on her behalf were defense attorneys Richard C. Miller and David G. Banes and representing the government was assistant U.S. attorney Eric O’Malley.

Upon the hearing’s opening, Miller informed the court that the defense is not ready to proceed with the hearing because a representative from HOPE Recovery Center, who had agreed to testify on behalf of Teregeyo, had been unavailable until the following hour. He requested a brief continuance.

O’Malley responded, indicating that the government has questions for Teregeyo and opposes the defendant’s release pending the continuance. However, O’Malley did not object to a short continuance. After asking the defense what was known to be reiterated in the testimony, defense listed to the court several already mentioned details, but also revealed that the termination of Teregeyo from the HOPE Recovery Center, was only matter of protocol and automatic, it was not caused by aggravation. The court expressed its position, noting that it can proceed with the disposition hearing based on the defendant’s progress at HOPE, as proffered by the defense. The court then declined the request for a continuance.

U.S. Probation Officer Gregory Arriola gave an oral update to the court on the sweat patch tests, with the most recent from June 3, 2024 to June 6, 2024 also testing positive, making eight tests since the initial positive testing in December 2023. One test in February had been considered tampered with after Teregeyo failed to report the removal of the patch. The incident was followed shortly after by her own confession to the use of methamphetamine.

O’Malley also confirmed the termination of Teregeyo at the HOPE Recovery Center. After which, Arriola reported that he did not receive an updated report as to the defendant’s progress while at the HOPE Recovery Center.

Arguments were made, and in his arguments, Miller said that he did not oppose there be a punishment, but asked the court to lighten the sentence. He shared that coming up with an argument proved to him difficult as working with Teregeyo was in his words a “Jekyll and Hyde” situation. Miller asked the court to take into account Teregeyo’s past, her underlying health and mental conditions, and the fact that she has children.

Manglona shared that, so far, the court has been gracious taking into account her situations and has lightened the sentence before with the condition that she undergo treatment at the HOPE Recovery Center. With Teregeyo’s violations of the agreement and her termination from the center, her continual positive tests, Manglona said she knows Teregeyo can put in the work, but she doesn’t see that happening. Manglona said that she hopes through the sentencing, Teregeyo can be moved to begin to change. Manglona did concede to the defense’s request for Teregeyo to be imprisoned on Saipan and closer to her family.

Teregeyo was then handed back to the custody to the U.S. Marshal.