By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa
Variety News Staff

THE 54-year-old former president of one of the CNMI’s largest construction firms was sentenced to 41 months of imprisonment yesterday for wire fraud.
Khajadour J. Semikian told the federal court that he was sorry that because of his stupidity and carelessness, he lost his friendship with the Behbehani family, which owns several companies in different parts of the world including Telesource of which he was the former chief executive.
“I lost a life-long relationship with the people I cared for,” he added. “I was hurt not because I was convicted of a crime but because I lost long-time friends. I valued their friendship and I lost that,” Semikian said during his sentencing hearing yesterday morning.
“I will not ask for forgiveness because I know it’s not easy and it’s up to them to forgive me or not — I just want to say I’m sorry for all the pain and trouble that I’ve caused.”
Semikian, who worked with the Behbehani family from 1986 to 2005, was sentenced by Federal Judge Alex Munson to three years and four months of imprisonment at the Bureau of Prisons.
Semikian was also placed on supervised release for three years and was ordered to pay a fine of $25,000, an assessment fee of $100 and restitution amounting to $375,000.
He will, moreover, perform 200 hours of community work service.
Semikian was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service and will be temporarily in the custody of the CNMI Department of Corrections until further notice from the court.
Semikian’s sentencing hearing was originally set for Tuesday but the court rescheduled it for yesterday when Semikian’s counsel, Vicken Hagopian, failed to get a flight to Saipan from Los Angeles.
The defense moved for a probation sentence and a restitution fee in the amount of $150,000.
Hagopian argued that Semikian was a productive person, a builder who has helped a lot of people in terms of employment and putting him behind bars would not serve justice.
Hagopian also said that Semikian has a medical history.
The government represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Moran opposed Hagopian’s motion.
Behbehani family members were present at the hearing and left immediately after the sentence.
Semikian was accompanied by some members of his family.
Hagopian and co-defense counsel Stephanie Flores declined to comment.
Semikian was the president of three companies — Retsa Development Inc., a real estate development company on Saipan, Amal Development Inc., and Namlas Development Corp.
He was indicted on three counts of wire fraud for obtaining money from Cupspring Investment Co. and Brisadal Real Estate Co, both holding companies with offices in Switzerland and shareholders of Amal Development and Namlas Development Corps.
The indictment stated that Semikian devised a scheme and artifice to defraud the victims by means of false and fraudulent pretenses.
According to the indictment, Semikian transferred $150,000 for Cupspring Investment to the account of Namlas Development Corp. at the City Trust Bank; $100,000 from Cupspring to the account of Namlas; and $125,000 from Brisadal Real Estate Corp. to Amal Development.
A jury trial was conducted on Nov. 20, 2006 and Semikian was found guilty by a federal jury on Dec. 1, 2006 on one count of wire fraud. The jurors acquitted him of the other two counts of wire fraud.