FOUR men were arrested for burglarizing the house of attorney David Banes and wife Antonina on Mt. Tapochao.
Donivin Chargualaf, James Kintz, Matthew Duenas, and Binh Nguyen, also known as “Alex,” were each charged with theft and burglary.
According to the charging documents, on or about October 2021, Chargualaf, 24; Kintz, 34; Duenas, 30; and Nguyen, 24, “unlawfully entered the building or occupied structure or secured portion of David Banes and Antonina Banes, with the purpose of committing theft, and unlawfully took the property of David Banes and Antonina Banes, with intent to permanently deprive the owner of their rights to the property, to wit: furniture, appliances, electronics, bikes, tools, building material, and paintings, said property having a value of more than twenty thousand dollars.”
Burglary and theft are each punishable by a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, $10,000 fine, or both.
The owners were alerted to the burglary and theft when Mrs. Banes saw her belongings being sold on the Facebook page of Saipan Garage Sale.
Mrs. Banes said she and her husband built their house in 2006. In 2020, she added, they moved out of the house but left the furniture and placed the house for rent.
At the preliminary hearing on Friday, before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho, Duenas and Kintz, through their respective attorneys, pled not guilty to the charges.
Judge Camacho, for his part, found probable cause to charge Duenas and Kintz.
As for Chargualaf and Nguyen, both waived a preliminary hearing.
Chargualaf, represented by attorney Anthony Aguon, also entered a plea of not guilty.
Attorney Janet King represented Nguyen, attorney Frances Demapan represented Duenas, and attorney Daniel Guidotti appeared for Kintz.
Assistant Attorney General Durrell Quarles appeared for the government.
Duenas is the only defendant released to a third-party custodian.
A status conference hearing is scheduled before Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio for Jan. 11, 2021 at 1:30 p.m.
Duenas and Chargualaf were also previously charged for their involvement in a burglary incident involving a warehouse in Chalan Piao.
