Alleged Roberto victim curses lawyer, yells at prosecutors
Drama unfolded yesterday shortly before noon in the ongoing jury trial of former acting Division of Fish and Wildlife director Raymond B. Roberto when one of his three alleged victims became upset at a comment made by defense counsel David J. Lujan during cross-examination. The alleged victim cursed Lujan, threw a glass of water at him, and berated the prosecutors.
The commotion prompted U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona to order a recess and instruct the lawyers to reconvene at 9am today, Wednesday. The judge ordered the 13 jurors, including an alternate, to return today, Wednesday, at 1:30pm.
When asked what the U.S. government will do now after the alleged victim’s outburst in front of jurors, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and NMI public information officer Mae Blas said they have no comment as the trial is ongoing.
Saipan Tribune learned that during Lujan’s cross-examination of the 16-year-old girl, he asked her about the age of her then-boyfriend. She refused to answer the question.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami S. Badawy objected to the relevance of the question. Lujan then argued that “it’s obvious that this girl likes older men.”
The girl stood up, pointed at Lujan, shouted profanities at him, and threatened to kill him and cut his neck.
The girl also grabbed a glass of water in front of her and threw it at Lujan, who was near her. Some of the water spattered onto the lawyer’s jacket.
When Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent Haejun Park approached her to calm her down, she pushed him and told him he’s responsible because she didn’t want to come to court.
As a court officer was escorting her out of the courtroom, she pointed at Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami S. Badawy and U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and NMI Alicia Limtiaco, yelling that she did not want to come to court and that they made her testify.
Throughout this time, the girl’s mother, who was in the courtroom, was crying and yelling. The girl also kicked the courtroom’s door several times.
The girl began her testimony on Friday and resumed on Monday. During Lujan’s cross-examination on Monday, the girl admitted that she used to smoke methamphetamine or “ice” and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that may have affected her memory of some events.
The 40-year-old Roberto is on trial for three counts of enticing three minors to engage in prostitution and one count of witness tampering. Aside from Lujan, he also hired attorney Joaquin Torres as his private counsel.
First, I of course have to comment on how tawdry this entire case is. Drug and sex addiction are obviously at the forefront here in the total destruction of several lives on display here. Just imagine how many other tawdry stories there are out there in the CNMI’s meth-land that do not get reported. It’s truly frightening.
Second, I also have to congratulate the Tribune for some pretty significant scoops today on their competition. This story, the robbery/kidnapping, and the CUC pipeline project termination were either altogether missed by the MV, or so thinly reported that the gist of the story did not get across. With the addition of the comments section, I may now have to start making the Tribune my first news reading stop.
I have also noticed this for quite awhile. Before the “Trib format change” I used to open theTtrib before opening the MV to see the “different side” and views. Now this paper is just very, very slow opening and unless I have time I do not go here at the time, or I will open it very early morning or late at night.
It seems that many of the MV “reporters” have become complacent over the years and at least one exceptional reporter (maybe two) have moved on.
Just as expected, the accusers will start breaking apart during the trial. It all started when one of the witness acted very happily during cross examination by the defense counsel. The moment she did this in front of the jurors, she became no longer a “victim”. The jurors were expecting a crying and terrified victim, not a jolly one. The outburst now shows just how much these victims were forced and perhaps threatened by the FBI and prosecutions to go along with this totally fabricated case against Roberto. The rest of this trial will only lead to more dramas from the alleged victims and prosecutions and more contradictions from their previous allegation statements. I won’t be surprised if Judge Manglona dismisses this case soon without the Jurors having to find Roberto innocent on all counts. I’ll give it up to this Friday. This case is so messed up the prosecutions might faced some lectures from the judge.
What, you think child sexual abuse victims are just going to be composed and professional while they discuss sick acts that they suffered through, and some jerk lawyer like Lujan starts telling them its their own fault? Get a clue. So far Lujan’s defense has been “She wanted it! She likes older men!” and “She’s blackmailing him! She was going to tell everyone what he did if he didn’t pay her for it!” Even if both are true, he’s still a guilty child sex offender that has contributed to the degradation of these girls’ lives.
I don’t see any problem with smoking and having sex. This is just another victimless crime. All parties were happy except the FBI and Police.
So is your 15 year old daughter old enough to consent to sex? How about your 10 year old daughter? 5years? Same for the drugs. Victimless? Ask his wife (who was pregnant with a child when this all went down) if this is a victimless crime. Put down the joint, take a deep breath and get real mamababy.
You don’t see a problem with old men banging kids? And who exactly seems happy? Do you know what child abuse is, and what sh*t like this does to people? Roberto needs to be hung by his nut-sac and Lujan needs to be disbarred. These girls are permanently emotionally screwed up
The witness is a 16 year old very troubled girl, and I cannot get past the thought that she may have been molested often. Lujan was out of line to try and point out that because she likes older men, it is okay for her to be violated by older men. Regardless of the outcome of this trial, that fact that this person is allegedly involved in drugs and exploitation of young women is enough to make me puke!
Lady and gentleman, Mamababy was only being sarcastic. Ai Yayai, read between the lines…