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Man fined $500 for threatening couple
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Posted on Jan 21 2005
The U.S. District Court yesterday placed a man on three years of probation and fined him $500 for threatening a couple in a letter.
The court had convicted Crisanto T. Balolong of transmitting a threatening letter, an offense that entails a maximum prison term of five years.
Balolong pleaded guilty to the charge in a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office last year, expressing remorse for what he did.
Prosecutors charged Balolong for threatening Efren and Filomena Francisco by sending them newspaper cutouts that claimed his alleged membership to the New People’s Army, a communist guerilla group in the Philippines.
Balolong said he was drunk when he thought of sending the communication to the Franciscos, telling the court that he is not a member of the NPA.
Chief Judge Alex R. Munson favored the request of Balolong’s lawyer, G. Anthony Long, to place the defendant on probation, instead of sending him to prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Moran had asked the court to include 30 days of imprisonment in Balolong’s sentence and to place the defendant on home confinement eventually.
The judge, however, ordered Balolong not to have contact with the Franciscos. He also ordered that the matter be referred to CNMI and federal immigration for investigation.
Long objected to the portion of the sentence directing the matter to the CNMI immigration. Munson gave Balolong 10 days to appeal his sentence. (John Ravelo)
