Chief parole officer pleads not guilty to theft by deception and forgery charges

Chief parole officer Nick M. Reyes has pleaded not guilty to the theft by deception, forgery, and misconduct in public office charges filed against him by the Office of the Attorney General.

Yesterday, Reyes was brought before the Superior Court for an arraignment in the theft by deception, forgery, and misconduct in public office case brought against him by the OAG.

During his hearing, Reyes pleaded not guilty to all charges filed against him.

He is set to appear in court again on Feb. 21 for another hearing.

Assistant attorney general James Kingman filed two cases against Reyes last Wednesday in relation to a project to build a patio at the CNMI Parole Office.

In one of the cases, Reyes is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, one count of conspiracy to commit theft by deception, and two counts of theft by deception in relation to the authorization of funds for the patio construction.

In this case, Reyes and a co-defendant, Chuilian Fu, were served separate penal summons.

Based on the information filed in court, Reyes and Fu agreed on Oct. 4, 2022, to build a patio at the Parole Office that was to be built by a tailoring company owned by Fu, F&S Corp., in the amount of $9,997.80. In reality, though, the patio was allegedly built using unpaid labor performed by parolees under the direction of Reyes.

“…One or both defendants committed at least one overt act in pursuance of the conspiracy, to wit procuring the contract, authorizing payment, performing the construction, issuing invoices, and sending communications regarding the conspiracy. …Reyes was a public official, to wit chief parole officer, and committed the above conduct under color of office,” said Kingman.

This offense is punishable by imprisonment of not more than 10 years and a fine of not more than $50,000.

Kingman stated in the information that Reyes obtained over $9,000 of CNMI funds by deception by creating or failing to correct the false impression that F&S Corp. would build a patio at the Office of Parole and authorizing the expenditure of $9,987 to F&S Corp.

“[This is]…punishable by…imprisonment for not more than five years,” said the information.

As for the other case filed against Reyes, he was charged with four counts of forgery and one count of misconduct in public office.

It is alleged that Reyes forged and altered on or about Dec. 20, 2023, the term of employment of a person from 30 days to one year. This offense is punishable by imprisonment of not more than five years.