Roberto’s 3rd alleged victim completes testimony
The third alleged victim completed yesterday her testimony in the ongoing jury trial in federal court of 41-year-old Raymond B. Roberto.
After the 16-year-old girl’s testimony, the prosecution called to the witness stand the 19-year-old cousin of the first alleged victim. The witness will resume her testimony this morning, Thursday.
The third alleged victim recounted during cross-examination by Roberto’s lead counsel, David J. Lujan, that during a Sept. 11, 2013, interview with FBI agents, she told them that Roberto picked her and two other girls in Kagman in April 2013 and brought them to the Parkville Motel in Gualo Rai, where they had a foursome.
The girl said Roberto instructed her not to tell anyone about it as he may go to jail.
The girl agreed with Lujan that during another interview with FBI agents, she talked about Roberto picking them up on a truck near the CYC Store in Kagman. She said when they reached the Capitol Hill Store, her two friends got down to buy drinks but she and Roberto stayed in the truck.
The girl said she does not know if she told FBI agents during the Aug. 12, 2013, interview about them buying drinks at the store before going to the Parkville Motel.
The girl frequently asked Lujan to repeat his questions. After replying to some questions, she would look at U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, who is presiding over the trial.
The girl said she could not remember why Roberto paid each of them $100 after having sex at Parkville Motel.
She denied knowing a certain Darlene Halstead. She also denied that Halstead instructed her to get rid of her cell phone.
The girl agreed with Lujan that the U.S. government has been paying her allowance and per diem during their stay in a shelter and for testifying in the case.
After the girl’s testimony, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami S. Badawy called to the stand the 19-year-old cousin of the first alleged victim.
Badawy asked the witness, among other things, about a typewritten note she made on Oct. 3, 2013, and her handwritten letter to “Presiding Judge” dated Jan. 2, 2014.
When asked to clarify a certain paragraph in the typewritten note, the witness said she never confided to the first alleged victim that she had sex with Roberto.
The defense did not object to the prosecution’s request to admit the typewritten note as evidence.
On the handwritten letter to “Presiding Judge,” the witness said it was her idea to write that letter. She said she told her mother about her letter, but apparently someone called attorney Joaquin Torres and a lawmaker came and took her letter.
Torres is Lujan’s co-counsel for Roberto. Rep. Chris Leon Guerrero (Cov-Saipan) is a private investigator for the defense.
The witness has yet to explain the contents of her note and letter and who “Presiding Judge” is, as Manglona called the counsels to a sidebar discussion.
Manglona then called for a 15-minute recess. After the break at 2:58pm, Manglona informed the jurors about some unavoidable circumstances. She called a recess for the day and ordered the jurors to return today, Thursday, for the resumption of the trial at 8am.
Roberto, a former acting director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife, is on trial for three counts of enticing three minors to engage in prostitution and one count of witness tampering.
Mr. Roberto is a good guy just bad choices, I agree. However this case since the beginning is showing a different story of enticement. Who is calling you? Who is extorting who? Who are the other customers, by definition they are prostitutes! These so called victims have been doing this also as indicated in their testimony the mom is involved as well. OMG!
It looks like the government as well has affected the alleged victims. Under protective custody and given money? Then testify against Roberto. To funny.
My big question is the mother and these girls going to be arrested as well? Of course your going to testify against Roberto you have a get out of jail card! Justice is blind and the wrong needs to be seen as well on their side.
These are kids who legally cannot consent to sex, thus they cannot sell sex. When are we going to stop blaming the victim? Next you are going to say that girls these days dress slutty so they have it coming. Nothing is funny about this Mr. Sablan.
Bananarepublic670 did you read the recent publication statistics about how teenagers are so active sexually? I will never accept or condone such activity, but in today’s time, teenagers are smarter than we may think..so we better be careful.
That they are doing it is a problem, not justification. What you should be careful of is their daddies! I see you eying my little girl and you’ll be singing soprano!
Report: 46 percent of NMI teens sexually active in high school
Published on Friday, August 29, 2014 00:00 By Richelle Agpoon-Cabang – richelle@mvariety.com – Variety News Staff
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Bananarepublic670….so read this publication from Variety of August 29….now I really wonder…Teenagers now a days DO CONSENT to sex.
Buenas Bananarepublic670,
You are right that we should not blame the victims above, because their under the age of the majority. Also, I agree with American LoneWolf that this kids are underprivileged individuals and they don’t have any form of support for them.
On Several occasions, I was asked if I wanted sex and in return I have to pay infront of Jose Market in Saipan and I asked why they were doing such a thing. I was told that the step dad wants cigarettes and beers and they were being force to prostitute themselves to support someone’s bad habit. I gave the two minor individuals twenty dollars each and I was so trouble to encounter such situation. I even bought food for them at the food stand.
We as society fell this children for ignoring their suffering in the first place and instead of pointing fingers who is at fault is not the appropriate way. Our government should come up with ways to address such problems within our community. There are Federal Grants that available to address issues relating to this group of people in our society and it is sad that no one had come up to tap into such grants.
Not only minors that I had encounter, but mothers with children who they can’t afford to feed their children, because of their drug habits. A person in his right mind will not take advantage of the individuals’ economic and drug addiction situation.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase
Mr. Jun, So you just gave them $20.00 dollars and didn’t even reported to the POLICE at all or even seek for help about that matter you encounter at San Jose Market…Just give Money,buy food and forget it right… Lets Speak up for our young generations that our up coming FUTURE, Lets protect them, Guide Them, Teach Them whats good & Bad. Nothing More – Nothing Less.
Buenas Spikey,
In some jurisdiction, an individual may be charge for a crime of omission and I had probably violated such statue in some states. At the time of the incident, I was not thinking the way you had made think about your comment above. You made me felt bad of my inactions and I will do the right thing in the future if I encounter such predicament again.
Also, you have to understand my circumstance at that point in time. Growing up in the streets in the mainland, I was condition not to mind others business, because it might or would lead to my demise and that was the reason I did not take actions to such situation. The two minor that I came across that particular night, told me that they were the age of the majority and I did not believe them.
I don’t know how to explain it to you, but I don’t mess with anyone if I don’t know whom I am dealing. There is a saying from my elders in the past, “Don’t mess with a particular individual if they are from a particular culture” and that is imbedded in my brain.
Yes, I agree that we need to protect our future generations and it has to start from us.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase
are you really advocating for jailing UNDERAGE prostitutes? even if that was what they were, being underage is kind of a big deal. they are victims of a pedophile, plain and simple. if a 3-yearold gives somebody money for sex, does that make it okay? you need to keep in mind that these are f*ing CHILDREN! they are wearing hello kitty gear, swinging on their chairs, laughing, crying… they are emotional wrecks because they’ve been getting raped as kids for as long as they can remember! you know why the gov’t is paying for their rent and per diem? BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ANY FAMILY AND THEY ARE KIDS! these are poor, disadvantaged kids that have been taken advantage of. you expect them to have jobs and pay rent and live on their own? they’re schoolgirls. get a clue, people.
that said, of COURSE the mother/caretaker should face some sort of charges. i’m sure she was brought up in the same rapey, drug-addled way that they kids were, though. Hey CNMI, the families of these girls are just as much a part of this island as the Roberto family. choose your sides carefully–do you really think that Roberto is the victim here??
Lonewolf, Be careful how you label people for you are not the accused. Mr. Roberto is undergoing trial for “ALLEGATION”. He so much innocent just like you and me right now. People everywhere have been wrongly accused in one form or another and don’t think it cannot happen to you too (I surely hope not). So, if I were you, don’t let the age of the alleged victims alter your brain and keep an open mind. Look at all the facts and let that be our guide toward Roberto’s guilt or innocence. Nothing more, nothing less.
Prisons are full of “good guys who just made bad choices”. Murder, drug deals, theft, getting drunk and beating their wives, you name it – but it doesn’t change the fact that it was a crime and he knew it was a crime as he committed it again, and again, and again.
Report: 46 percent of NMI teens sexually active in high school
Published on Friday, August 29, 2014 00:00 By Richelle Agpoon-Cabang – richelle@mvariety.com – Variety News Staff
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I got this headline off the Variety. read what it says about teens today…and makes me wonder about these girls../
If I dig up a headline from elsewhere about sexual predators and how they manipulate young girls to get them to have sex with them, I’ll have you wondering about Mr. Roberto…. Mr. Roberto, why don’t you have a seat right over there…. Teenagers, at least since my day, have always been sexually active. WITH EACH OTHER. Perverts were perverts then, and they are perverts now. Good try, CNMI Saipan.
Mr. Sablan, please lai. Mungga lokkue enao “he is a good guy” who “just made “bad choices” noh? A bad choice would be when you decide not to renew your vehicle registration because you’d rather wait til the next day but yet you still drove your car, and as a result, you get pulled over and get a ticket. But when you are “allegedly” (because yes, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty) involved in sexually abusing not one but several minors, come on fan?! Let’s not kid ourselves here ah. If he ends up getting acquitted then I guess he’s found innocent. But if he should be found guilty, I doubt that, that would be a result of a “bad choice.” I mean, come on, are you seriously unable to tell whether a person is above or below the age of adulthood? And suppose you aren’t able to, why would you have sex with them, and then pay them afterwards anyway? Doesn’t that constitute as prostitution?
And as for your big question regarding the mother and the girls getting arrested, how about this question instead; don’t you think that given their age, these girls were neglected, abused and as a result, became the way they were because they needed HELP? Wouldn’t you agree that perhaps, these troubled teens were exploited by guys like Roberto, that fireman, and everyone else they’ve identified for that matter, because they were easy prey?
I have been reading so much about this case in the newspaper…I remember reading that the girls are ‘runaways’ from home. parents of these girls, where were you when your daughters decided to run away..where is the Division of Youth Affairs? Did you parents contact DYS when your MINOR DAUGHTERS RAN AWAY FROM HOME? did you parents call DPS for help to locate your daughters..With the exception of the mother who she and her daughter decided to extort money.
By the way, according the statistics that tribune published about a week or 2 ago, that school students are very active in sexual activities. go back in the archives and read it.
It’s not the parent’s fault or the girl’s fault that Roberto illegally paid to have sex with minor girls. I and the vast majority of adult males manage to avoid doing this, despite your statistics. It does not excuse Mr. Roberto, not in the least.
Report: 46 percent of NMI teens sexually active in high school
Published on Friday, August 29, 2014 00:00 By Richelle Agpoon-Cabang – richelle@mvariety.com – Variety News Staff
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and now we should really question, are these girls and that mother really innocent…?
Here is the real problem here. Mr. Roberto is accused of enticing 3 young girls who were 15 years old at the time to have sex with. We as a society must be very careful in how we judge people who are accused of criminal act. Countless number of people have been sent to prison for crimes they didn’t commit and a lot had been locked up for over 10 years only to be found innocent later through technology and what not. Don’t let our emotion get the best of us. Allow ourselves to be open minded and let the justice system carryout Mr. Roberto’s guilt or innocence. What ever happened to “Innocent until proven guilty?” So far, the accusers have been very inconsistent and contradictory. In a court of law, you just can’t have these and expect the jurors not to factor those in their deliberations. Yes, these girls were fifteen at the time the alleged incident occurred with Roberto but based on records they are repeat-runaways and rebellious. Previous articles proved they have been lying about their age in their effort to get money or ice for sex as indicated in the Richard Benavente video case. Investigative record as collected by Agent Park of the FBI has it that these girls were also involved with other men that include a local police officer, a local wealthy businessman and his local politician friend, and two others. So as you can see, these girls are not your typical innocent daddy’s little girl. So I suggest that we allow the justice system to do its job before we condemn Mr. Roberto.
Buenas Mr. Santos,
According to your profile you are a student, which means you had not grown any hairs in between your legs.
You claimed that Mr. Dubral left our islands and I am next to do so, Mr. Santos you had been pampered all your life and you need to understand that we are human beings and we have feelings. Your opinion above shows that you such a stubborn individual, because society make rules to protect itself from self destruction. Your opinion above disregarded that the girls above have the consent to have sex, but in reality they were below the majority of their age and that is against our societal rules. Roberto needs to start prepping his rear end for his mistakes against our society, Don’t waste your aptitude to self destruct our society, use it to better our underprivileged and working poor.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase
In indeed Jun. But before Mr. Roberto prep his rear end, we must first prove that he is guilty of the crime he is accused. What I am getting at is that the behavior and background records of the alleged victims and a mother put a huge doubt in Roberto’s guilt. That is the purpose of the justice system to prove that a person is in fact guilty beyond reasonable doubt. People everywhere have been wrongly and falsely accused of different crimes and even worse have been sent to jail for crimes they didn’t commit. How many wrongly accused have been imprisoned for a crime they didn’t commit only to be released because of DNA test results and police corruption discoveries?? Roberto’s case has so many inconsistencies and contradictions to prove that the accusers are lying and the prosecution team and its FBI agent have been doing their best to nail Roberto regardless of his innocence because they have too much pride and have been after him for another reason they seemed unable to let go.
Buenas Mr. Santos,
I strongly agree with you that you are innocent until proven guilty and there is a due process of the law in our judicial system.
It was an oversight on my part for making or jumping to a conclusion above and I am admitting that I made a mistake.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase
Whether or not these girls are repeat-runaways or rebellious is irrelevant to the question of whether or not they were under 15 years of age and enticed by Mr. Roberto to have sex for money and drugs. From the testimony reported, there is no doubt in my mind that this is so. These girls don’t need to prove that they are “daddy’s little girl” in order for society to protect them. You portray the victims as horrible wenches without a redeeming quality among them, but the fact of the matter is that it is illegal to pay even horrible wenches who are under the age of 15 for sex.