By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
A FEDERAL complaint has been filed against a Saipan diving instructor accused of possessing child pornography on his Apple iPad.
William Saron Capayas was arrested Nov. 18 and charged with one count of possession of child pornography. At an initial hearing Wednesday before Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI, Capayas was released on an unsecured bond.
Capayas was represented by attorney Richard Miller, who told the court his client holds a green card and is subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer. Assistant U.S. Attorney Garth Backe said the federal government would not seek detention.
Manglona ordered Capayas to return for a preliminary examination hearing on Dec. 10 at 3:30 p.m. and to comply with conditions of release.
FBI Special Agent Richard Bauer said a witness reported the case on Oct. 6 after meeting Capayas during a scuba diving trip on Saipan. The witness, identified as C1, said Capayas asked him to repair a malfunctioning device. When C1 attempted to back up the iPad’s photo files, he observed two images he recognized as child sexual abuse material or CSAM. He stopped the download and reported the incident to the FBI.
Bauer obtained a search warrant and confirmed the device belonged to Capayas. A forensic examination revealed 149 images of CSAM and 14 images of bestiality.
During an Oct. 31 interview, Capayas admitted to owning the iPad and said he primarily used it to access the internet and view pornography. He told investigators he was the only person with access to the device.
“Capayas admitted that aside from viewing adult pornography, he also viewed and saved videos of children as young as 3 or 4 years old,” Bauer said. “He kept the material because he found it to be ‘different.’”
Bauer said there is probable cause that Capayas violated Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B).
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.
