CHIEF Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI has summoned 62 prospective jurors for the trial of Barrie James Ladd that is scheduled to begin on July 20, 2021.
Ladd is charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government.
Ladd, the owner of Misamis Construction Saipan Ltd., is represented by attorney Colin Thompson.
A second superseding indictment stated that Misamis Construction Saipan Ltd. submitted a petition for a CW-1 visa that falsely and fraudulently represented that a full-time employer-employee relationship existed between Misamis and Hiron Mollah, “when in fact, no such relationship was intended and the primary purpose of the application was to obtain legal status for Mollah.”
Mollah was also charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S.
In March, Assistant U.S. Attorney Garth Backe asked the federal court to dismiss without prejudice the case against Mollah. Without prejudice means the case can be refiled.
Backe said after a thorough review of its evidence, the U.S. government did not believe it could presently prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Judge Manglona granted the motion to dismiss without prejudice the charge against Mollah.
