By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
MISCONDUCT in public office defined much of 2025 in the Commonwealth. Assistant Attorney General Olga Kelley and the Office of the Attorney General pursued charges against officials across multiple agencies, highlighting systemic concerns over accountability and misuse of government resources.
Charges against the lieutenant governor
In August, Kelley filed charges against Lt. Gov. Dennis James C. Mendiola, Justin Paul A. Mizutani and Joey Vincent C. Dela Cruz, alleging misuse of public funds tied to the transport of a private vehicle on a government-chartered vessel.
Prosecutors said Mendiola, while serving as a Homeland Security special assistant in 2022, authorized the shipment of a personal vehicle from Saipan to Rota at a direct cost of $3,135.81. Investigators later noted that the total government expenditure for the charter service approached $60,000, since the vessel was hired for multiple trips beyond the single vehicle transport.
The OAG argued that the misuse of funds constituted misconduct in public office and theft of services. Mizutani and Dela Cruz were also implicated in related misconduct allegations.
Attorney Bruce Berline, who represented Mendiola, filed a motion to dismiss, claiming the information was constitutionally defective because it failed to cite a statute or regulation defining the alleged misuse as unlawful. All defendants entered pleas of not guilty.
Conservation officials charged
Later in the year, three senior officials from the Department of Lands and Natural Resources and the Division of Fish and Wildlife were served penal summons for alleged misuse of government property.
DLNR Secretary Sylvan O. Igisomar, acting DFW Director Rosemary C. Camacho, and Conservation Officer Ignacio I. Yiftheg were accused of using an agency boat and vehicle for personal travel between Saipan and Managaha, with Igisomar’s children aboard. Igisomar faces charges of misconduct in public office, theft of services, and child endangerment.
All three pleaded not guilty in December before Superior Court Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja.
Former Saipan Mayor’s Office staff charged
The OAG also filed misconduct charges against four individuals tied to the Saipan Mayor’s Office. Henry Sablan Hofschneider, Larissa Sablan Flores, Teresita Borja Camacho, and Eloida Dela Cruz Macaranas were accused of misappropriating nearly $98,400 from the Mayor’s Office account for personal use.
Three of the defendants previously worked under then-Mayor David M. Apatang and later joined the governor’s staff when he became governor. Penal summonses were issued requiring the defendants to appear in Superior Court in August. All pleaded not guilty.
Heightened scrutiny and public accountability
The wave of prosecutions reflects a year of increased scrutiny on public officials. Judges emphasized the importance of transparency and adherence to law, while the OAG’s filings signaled a commitment to restoring public trust.
Observers noted that the cases against the lieutenant governor, conservation officials, and former mayoral staff illustrate the breadth of misconduct allegations, spanning misuse of vehicles and boats to financial misappropriation.
Trials are expected to continue into 2026, with outcomes likely to set precedents for how misconduct in public office is defined and punished in the CNMI.
