Defense attorney Pamela Brown Blackburn yesterday told a federal jury that they will show evidence that there is no scheme in the case against former U.S. Army Reserve member Jordan M. Jucutan.<\/p>\n
In the defense\u2019s opening statements, Blackburn asked the jurors to pay attention to the evidence and witnesses\u2019 testimony and find Jucutan not guilty of all charges.<\/p>\n
Jucutan, a teacher, is on trial in the U.S. District Court for the NMI on charges of four counts of wire fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.<\/p>\n
The U.S. government accused the defendant of engaging in a scheme to defraud and to obtain money by falsely claiming he referred soldiers to enlist in the U.S. Army Reserve through the Army Reserve Recruiter Assistant Program.<\/p>\n
Blackburn said this case is not a simple one, but complex.<\/p>\n
Blackburn said the evidence will show that Jucutan was assisting in the recruitment of potential soldiers and that he was not a recruiter.<\/p>\n
The defense counsel said Jucutan is just a civilian soldier who was paid by contractor Document & Packaging Brothers Inc. (Docupak) to administer the Army Reserve Recruiting Assistance Program.<\/p>\n
Blackburn said Jucutan was assisting in the recruitment of potential soldiers because he needed money for his then-expected baby girl and future children.<\/p>\n
Blackburn said they will show, by U.S. government\u2019s own witnesses, that Jucutan helped people, that he is a good teacher, a good parent, and a trusted member in the community.<\/p>\n
After Blackburn\u2019s opening statements, assistant U.S. attorney Russell Lorfing called the U.S. government\u2019s first witness\u2014William Stewart, a retired U.S. Marine Corps. officer who served as deputy program manager for Docupak in 2007 to 2009.<\/p>\n
Stewart testified that he joined Docupak in 2005 and left the company in 2014. At present, he is jobless.<\/p>\n
Stewart basically testified how the Army Reserves Recruiter Assistant Program (AR-RAP) worked, the goals and training modules of AR-RAP, the AR-RAP trainings that Recruiting Assistant (RA) received, information about online portal to earn an AR-RAP payment, method of AR-RAP payments, among other things.<\/p>\n
Stewart also testified about expectations and duties of the Recruiting Assistants.<\/p>\n
During Blackburn\u2019s cross-examination, Stewart said Jucutan\u2019s case is the seventh trial in the entire nation in which he testified involving a similar scheme.<\/p>\n
He said he also testified at two trials in Guam.<\/p>\n
When Saipan Tribune left the courtroom yesterday late afternoon, Blackburn was still cross-examining the witness.<\/p>\n
U.S. District Court for the NMI Senior Judge Alex R. Munson is presiding over the jury trial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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