By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
SUPERIOR Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho has scheduled a jury trial for Nores S. Langu, who is accused of allowing his friend, Mariano Falig Jr., to sexually assault Langu’s common-law wife while she was asleep.
The trial is set for Feb. 23, 2026, at 9 a.m. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 14 at 10 a.m., according to an order issued Monday.
Langu is charged with first-degree sexual assault as a principal and disturbing the peace. Falig is charged with first-degree sexual assault, assault and battery, disturbing the peace, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance — methamphetamine.
Both men have pleaded not guilty.
Langu is represented by attorney Richard Miller while Falig is represented by Assistant Public Defender Emily Thomsen. Assistant Attorney General Heather Barcinas is prosecuting the case.
Background
According to investigators, the woman said she awoke on Sept. 26, 2025 to find Falig on top of her while Langu was in the same room. She initially believed it was Langu but realized otherwise when she heard his voice from the side of the bed. She said she jumped up, confronted Langu, and ran out of the room crying. While calling police, she said she saw that the man in the room was Falig.
The woman told investigators that after work earlier that evening, Langu had stopped at the store, where he bought a half-case of beer before returning home with her and their children. After drinking together, the couple argued, and she told Langu to leave. She said she locked all the doors before going to bed.
Around midnight, she said, she awoke to someone pulling down her pants. She told investigators she said “no,” but the man got on top of her anyway. When she heard Langu’s voice from the side of the bed, she realized it was someone else.
The next day, she said, Langu admitted he had allowed Falig to have sex with her while she was asleep.
In a separate Family Court hearing on Oct. 9 before Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio, related to a temporary restraining order petition, Langu admitted to bringing Falig into the room and instructing him to undress and get on top of her. When asked why, Langu reportedly said it was because she had kicked him out of the house and had been “hiding stuff” from him.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.