Parole chief acquitted of all charges

The bench trial for chief parole officer Nick Masga Reyes concluded yesterday with Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho acquitting him of all the charges filed against him.

It was an emotional day for both Reyes and his friends and family because after four days spent in court, Camacho found Reyes not guilty on all four charges of forgery and misconduct in public office.

In a surprising turn of events, Reyes’ trial—which was expected to continue today—was cut short when his defense team opted not to cross examine the two remaining witnesses called in by assistant attorney general James Kingman.

After the defense and prosecution gave their closing argument, Camacho issued his ruling finding Reyes not guilty of forgery and misconduct in public office.

In a statement from Reyes’ attorney Joaquin Torres, he said the testimonies of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and special assistant to the administration Oscar Babauta pleaded Reyes’ case for him that he did not have to forge documents to keep his job.

“I believe that the court relied heavily on the testimonies of the governor and SAA Oscar Babauta. They testified to wanting the [Parole Board] to be ran properly and wanting Reyes to continue doing his job. I believe the court relied on those testimonies and we didn’t really have to plead our case,” he said.

Meanwhile, Saipan Tribune tried to get a comment from Kingman who stated he had no comment for the press.

During the third day of Reyes’ trial, Babauta testified to personally speaking with Reyes before his contract expired back in September 2023, stating he could “man his post” and that he would essentially discuss the issues regarding his contract with the governor

“The Board of Parole is important. I wanted to [do something] to prolong operations at that office [and that meant] allowing Reyes to continue [in his role]. Because the acting chair was reluctant to move forward with his employment (animosity was brewing) I brought it up with the governor a second time. The governor instructed me to ‘do whatever is needed to be done’ to make sure that Reyes’ employment continues,” he said.

“I have been in many managerial positions and I see the need for a manager in an office to maintain operations,” he added.

During his testimony, Babauta shared that he signed an RFPA for the extension of Reyes’ contract back in September 2023 and instructed him to write a letter to the SAA’s office (which he would discuss with Palacios) to possibly extend his contract further.

On the first day of trial, Palacios testified to speaking with Reyes as well and even advising the Board of Parole to seek a 90-day extension of Reyes’ contract instead of the usual 30 days.

According to Saipan Tribune archives, Kingman filed last February two separate cases against Reyes—one count of misconduct in public office and four counts of forgery.

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

Also, Reyes and co-defendant Chuilian Fu are 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 construction of a patio.

In this case, Reyes and Fu allegedly agreed last 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.