Tables turn in favor of Reyes following third day of trial

The bench trial of chief parole officer Nick Masga Reyes on charges of forgery and misconduct in public office allegations pursuant to the extension of his employment contract entered Day 3 yesterday. The twist, the testimony of one of the government’s key witnesses (and special assistant to the administration) Oscar Babauta testifying that he personally pushed for a contract extension for the parole chief.

Yesterday, after lengthy testimonies from parole officers Shirlene Laniyo and Vince Taitano, it was apparent that there has been some kind of animosity within the Board of Parole with Taitano stating that he didn’t get a long well with Reyes.

In addition, during Laniyo’s testimony, it was brought to light that a group chat consisting of parole officers was created and it excluded Reyes.

In addition, in these chats, Laniyo testified that photos of Reyes’ documents (like the request for personnel action extending his contract) were shared on the chat but deleted.

After reading the messages out in court, it seemed as though the officers were not pleased that Reyes would possibly get an extension.

Then, in a shocking turn of events, when Babauta (essentially a trusted advisor to the administration of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios) was called unto the stand, he shared that he personally spoke 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.

Reyes’ bench trial before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho will continue this morning. The government has three more witnesses to call and it is unsure when he the trial will come to conclusion.

According to Saipan Tribune archives, assistant attorney general James 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.

Reyes has pleaded not guilty in both cases.