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Ex-Customs dog program chief instructor prosecuted for theft
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Posted on Feb 02 2006
The Attorney General’s Office filed charges yesterday against former Customs Dog Detector Program chief instructor Freddie Guajardo for allegedly stealing $5,000 from the government.
Guajardo was charged with theft of services and misconduct in public office. He was summoned to appear and answer the charges in Superior Court.
The government accused Guajardo of pocketing $5,000, which the Palau government paid to purchase K-9 dogs from the CNMI.
The defendant denied the charges in a telephone interview with the Saipan Tribune yesterday.
“I have been wrongfully accused,” he said, stressing that he never received the money.
Guajardo said he spent 15 years in Customs and that he never stole a single penny. He added he would prove his innocence in court.
Guajardo reportedly became instrumental in the establishment of a strong Detector Dog Program for the CNMI. He retired last December.
In other court news, Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth Govendo has imposed a 60-day jail term on a man who burglarized a house and stole some items.
Govendo placed 50-year-old Joseph Boyer Pangelinan on three years probation and required him to pay a $500 fine plus court and probation fees.
Govendo ordered the defendant to perform150 hours of community work service and prohibited him from drinking alcohol beverages during the probationary period.
Court papers said that on Aug. 4, 2005, the defendant entered a property without permission and took various bags of fish, beef, and a pair of shoes, all totaling $250.
Pangelinan pleaded guilty to burglary.
