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Torres keeps up heat on Wiseman
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Posted on Feb 23 2001
Representative Stanley T. Torres is at it again.
After feeding the public a steady diet of exposes against Superior Court associate judge nominee Attorney David A. Wiseman over the past month, the lawmaker yesterday requested the Senate to include all the evidence he presented into its proceedings.
In a letter to Senate Executive Appointments and Governmental Investigation Committee Chair Joaquin Adriano, Mr. Torres asked that the body carefully consider the information and documents gathered against Mr. Wiseman.
In an obvious play of his previous “smoking gun” accusation, Mr. Torres wrote, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire. In this case, there is enough smoke to choke all of us.” He was referring to the alleged Commonwealth Utilities Corporation bribery incident.
Last Feb. 14, Mr. Torres came out with a bombshell alleging that the Superior Court nominee paid Jesus Aguon Sasamoto, a former CUC employee, between $12,000 to $13,000 in exchange for “flat-rating” the electric bills of a hotel owned by his client.
Mr. Wiseman denied the charges and said that Mr. Sasamoto was only trying to save his own skin. He also argued the testimony submitted by the lawmaker cannot hold up in court because it was an unsworn statement and not taken under oath.
Yesterday, however, Mr. Torres stood by his allegations and even indicated he was unimpressed by the lawyer’s denial. He wrote, “Mr. Wiseman relied on an old, tired and often used tactic when confronted by an accusation of a guilty party.”
The lawmaker even defended Mr. Sasamoto clarifying that the former CUC employee was convicted of receiving bribes and not perjury. He contradicted Mr. Wiseman’s point, arguing why Mr. Sasamoto would cut a deal with the FBI, when no leniency was offered to him.
Mr. Torres also revealed that Mr. Wiseman had a judicial robe in his car ready and a banquet room in a hotel room reserved in the last public hearing, in case he was confirmed.
“I cannot remember in the history of the Commonwealth a person who was nominated to be a judge that has gone to the extent that Mr. Wiseman has in orchestrating support,” he lamented.
