Frahm gets 13 years in jail

Citing a statement from a mother whose daughter was a victim of former Marianas High School teacher David Matthew Frahm’s conduct involving child pornography, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona said a 13-year sentence as well as strict conditions upon release is significant in setting Frahm straight. This, Manglona said, after breaching the trust given to him by parents who believed he, as a teacher, would serve as a second parent to their children.

Yesterday, Frahm appeared before Manglona for a sentencing here in the child pornography case where he pleaded guilty to two of three counts.

All the while his hearing took place, Frahm maintained a somber almost emotionless look on his face and when asked if he would like to address the court or the mother of his victim who was present via video call, he declined.

During the hearing, Manglona sentenced Frahm to an imprisonment term of 156 months or 13 years. In addition, Manglona gave Frahm credit for time served of five months and eight days.

Specifically, for Count 2, possession of child pornography, Frahm was sentenced to 121 months’ imprisonment term. As for Count 3, engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, he was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment. The sentences will run concurrently with one another.

Meanwhile, Manglona imposed a strict probationary period of five years following Frahm’s release from prison on top of requirements like having to register as a sex offender for 15 years after his release and to stay away from children and places where there may be children below the age of 18.

“I want to make sure you follow this condition; you’re not allowed within 1,000 feet of children under the age of 18 which includes secondary and primary schools, playgrounds, parks, shopping centers, daycare, recreation centers, arcades, etc. I point this out because argued by the government in their sentencing memorandum, it appears you are a talented man. You managed to get a college education, two masters, mastered piano, so you had the opportunity to influence a lot of students that you had. You have lost that privilege,” she said.

“As the mother of the victim said, you breached that trust that she gave you back in Malaysia with her daughter [especially since] communities [see] teachers as second parents to their children,” she added.

Manglona said that Frahm’s saving grace in Malysia was that he recognized the wrongness in his conduct.

“In your own words, you made a mistake, you knew what you did was wrong, and you even stated that you tried to self-isolate yourself under the guise of COVID to try and get yourself right. That’s an internal reflection but that’s after an injury was inflicted,” she said.

Manglona said if there is any way for Frahm to overcome his issues and get himself right would be by imposing this sentence and requirements upon release on him.

“It is my concern, the first incident, at least what was being investigated here in Saipan, was in 2019. Then you fled the United States jurisdiction (and I use the word fled because a special agent went looking for you in 2019 and was trying to find you through your passport but couldn’t until something popped up years later). So, I have concern about your ability to, in fact, as you described it, ‘get myself right’ and for that reason I do believe that the requirement is significant as I do hope this will in fact protect any possible future victims at your hands because you’re obviously having difficulty controlling yourself,” she said.

Aside from his sentence, Manglona granted the defense’s request to recommend that Frahm serve his sentence near his parents’ home in Henderson, Nevada.

Meanwhile, Manglona has set a restitution hearing for Dec. 19 at 9am to give the victims an opportunity to file claims against Frahm.