The United States Courthouse in Gualo Rai, Saipan.
THE federal court on Friday unsealed a criminal complaint against Edward Gene Worswick Richards, accusing him of threatening to assault and kidnap District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona.
Richards was charged “with Threatening to Assault or Murder a United States Judge, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C § 115(a)(1)(B), and Transmitting a Threat to Kidnap Any Person or Threatening to Injure the Person of Another in Interstate or Foreign Commerce, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C § 875(c).”
The arrest warrant against Richards was executed on Dec. 19, 2024.
In the custody of the U.S. Marshals, the defendant appeared for an initial appearance hearing before designated Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio.
Attorney Richard Miller was appointed to represent Richards while Assistant U.S. Attorney Garth Backe appeared for the federal government.
Judge Kim-Tenorio said threatening a federal judge carries a maximum sentence of three years and a $250,000 fine, while transmitting a threat to kidnap is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Backe requested a three-day continuance and informed the court that he had filed a motion for a detention order against the defendant.
Judge Kim-Tenorio scheduled a detention hearing for Dec. 26 at 9 a.m. and a preliminary examination hearing for Jan. 3, 2025, at 9 a.m.
Background
Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Jason Oakley, in his affidavit in support of criminal complaint, stated that on Nov. 14, 2024, he was notified by Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Sosa of a series of harassing and threatening emails sent to the U.S. Probation Office for the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
“The emails were sent to the publicly available inbox at GUPml_NMI. Over 1,000 emails were received from doe461428@gmail.com between November 10 and November 17, 2024. A review of the emails revealed threats to government officials, threats to bomb Saipan, and a threat to kill United States District Judge Ramona Manglona,” Oakley said.
On Nov. 10, 2024, at 2:40 a.m. ChST, doe461428@gmail.com sent the following email to GUPml_NMI: “Okay the Federal Court House can shut down TSA Officer Edward Duane Quitugua Richards or let’s disappear him.”
On Nov. 10, 2024, at 9:27 p.m. ChST, doe461428@gmail.com sent the following email to GUPml_NMI: “Than its [sic] we know I know right right I just want to kill judge Ramona.”
On Nov. 11, 2024, at 2:03 p.m. ChST, doe461428@gmail.com sent the following email to GUPml_NMI: “She better not go from there or I will start bombing up saipan.”
Oakley learned that doe461428@gmail.com was using a BLU Android phone Model G71L, a prepaid wireless phone with no identified subscriber.
On Nov. 18, 2024, Oakley was again notified by the U.S. Marshals that an additional email address, scarballon@gmail.com, was sending harassing emails to GUPml_NMI with a writing style similar to that of doe461428@gmail.com with multiple references to Judge Manglona.
Oakley learned that both email addresses came from the same device.
He said on Nov. 9, 2024, at 8:04 p.m. ChST, an email was sent that included the line, “This is Edward Gene Worswick Richards.”
Deputy U.S. Marshal Sosa then verified that the Transportation Safety Administration’s Saipan office has an employee named Edward Duane Richards who was referenced in the threat dated Nov. 10, 2024.
“On November 19, 2024, Sosa interviewed TSA Officer Richards [who] indicated that [the defendant] is his nephew …. TSA Officer Richards told the investigating officers he believes [the defendant] lives with his father, Florencio Richards, and that [the defendant] suffers from mental health issues,” Oakley said.
Prior case
In November 2020, Edward Richards was arrested and charged with robbery in Superior Court.
According to the information filed in Criminal Case No. 20-0184E, Edward Richards “unlawfully took property by use or threatened use of immediate force or violence,” and “used a dangerous weapon, namely, a machete and/or knife to obtain the property, to wit: U.S. currency and cigarettes.”
