By Gina Tabonares
Variety News Staff

THE controversial link between the Guam Judiciary and disgraced Washington, D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff led to the indictment of Camacho cabinet member Anthony Sanchez and California lawyer Howard Hills, and investigations are ongoing into whether a case can be built against Superior Court Presiding Judge Alberto Lamorena.
Hills and Sanchez, a former Guam Superior Court administrator, yesterday pleaded not guilty to 14 superceding charges filed by the Attorney General’s Office.
Deputy Attorney General Lewis Littlepage said the superceding indictment was reinforced by the 300 pages of documents obtained by the AGO from the Guam Judiciary.
These documents were submitted to the U.S. Congress as part of a Committee on Government Reform investigation on Abramoff.
The paper trail identified the presiding judge as the one who orchestrated efforts to control the reigns of Guam judicial administrative power and instructed Sanchez to hire the lobbyist.
When asked why Judge Lamorena was spared from indictment despite documents indicating that he was also responsible in the questionable disbursement of the Guam court’s money, Littlepage said this is still an open case and that there was not enough evidence to charge Judge Lamorena.
“Just as in a standard prosecution, we always continue our investigation and we have an ethical obligation to file charges against anybody if we know that we have enough evidence against the person. We deal with facts and so far we don’t have evidence against the presiding judge,” Littlepage told Variety.
Even as the AGO investigates the case, Guam Judiciary staff attorney Bruce Bradley will make a detailed report to be submitted to the Judicial council for review and consideration.
This was the disclosed by Dan Tydingco, Guam Judiciary director for Policy and Communication, reacting to a question about whether the court has planned to take legal action against Judge Lamorena.
“It will be up to the judicial council how to proceed at some point in the near future. We don’t have prosecutorial power. There were recommendations by our staff attorney. It’s really up to the Judicial Council,” Tydingco said.
He said their priority is to recover court money which they believe was improperly expended in the lobbying scheme.
“Our efforts to recover the money will continue and all our options remain open,” Tydingco added.
Sanchez and Hills are both facing felony charges that include unlawful influence as a third-degree felony, conspiracy for unlawful influence as a third-degree felony, theft of property held in trust as a second-degree felony, official misconduct as a misdemeanor, theft by deception as a second-degree felony, conspiracy for theft by deception as a second-degree felony, misapplication of entrusted funds as a misdemeanor, and conspiracy for misapplication of entrusted funds as a third-degree felony.
The two allegedly conspired to disburse $479,000 from the Guam court.
Sanchez was Abramoff’s constant contact, and would communicate with Hills and the lobbyist using the code name “Nobody Guam” with an e-mail address nobodyonguam@yahoo.com.
Using this e-mail address, Sanchez allegedly hatched a plan with Abramoff. According to Hills, Sanchez was under the direction of Judge Lamorena.