HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A Superior Court of Guam grand jury panel has indicted Joey Alan A. Terlaje, a former Department of Corrections deputy director, on a charge of felonious restraint as a third-degree felony and two charges of official misconduct as misdemeanors.
The indictment in the local court was announced Friday by the Guam Office of the Attorney General.
The indictment occurred a few days after District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood, questioned why other public officials who had been under federal investigation related to former Yona Mayor Jesse Blas’s bribery and extortion case hadn’t been brought to justice.
Joey Terlaje was named in federal court documents, but not charged in federal court, as an alleged associate of former Yona Mayor Jesse Blas. Blas is serving a three-year sentence in federal prison for bribery and extortion in a broader drug-dealing investigation.
Joey Terlaje resigned from the Guam Department of Corrections after his name was mentioned in Blas’ federal case. Joey Terlaje also had been a Superior Court of Guam marshal.
In a press release, the Guam Attorney General’s Office stated, “Terlaje is accused of exposing the victim to risk of serious bodily injury at a barbecue back in 2017 and for ignoring and abusing his position as a government official in relation to a crime committed.”
“This follows several months of active investigation by the Office of the Attorney General, to include the collection and review of evidence and witness interviews,” the AG’s office stated in the release.
Federal investigators have presented an audio recording in Blas’ case that indicates Joey Terlaje dragging a then-girlfriend of Blas away from a barbecue and into a house where she was held for three days.
In one recording, the former mayor was heard scolding his former girlfriend Vickilyn Teregeyo, a local court drug case defendant.
“Even though we fought, and I slapped you and choked you and threw you around, s*** happens. I still went out to the court for you and said I didn’t want you locked up,” Blas said in the recording. “I am connected to that courthouse, and I can make s*** happen. They were pushing to get that warrant out and it had nothing to do with Joey Terlaje.”
The FBI has testified that at least six people — including Joey Terlaje — were under investigation, adding that Blas hit Teregeyo and Joey Terlaje dragged her into a residence at a barbecue, where she was held for three days.
Senator’s son
Joey Terlaje is the son of Democratic Sen. Jose “Pedo” Terlaje.
The senator, who has oversight over the judiciary and public safety, was overseas for medical reasons on Friday and could not comment immediately.
In March of this year, Senator Terlaje asked Judiciary of Guam officials at a legislative hearing whether the court was investigating his son.
“Was there any formal complaint or any misconduct filed by the court by (Vickilyn) Teregeyo, or did anyone that was present at a barbecue back in 2017 that my son — and Marshals were there, probation officers were there — that my son assaulted, tied her up for three days, and beat her up and everything, was there any report of that incident happening?” Senator Terlaje asked during the March hearing.
“This lady, Teregeyo, and I guess you know who she is, had mentioned that she was assaulted by Joey (Terlaje) in the presence of Marshals and probation officers. And that my son tied her up for three days, assaulted her. And I just wanted to find out was there any complaint filed by Vickilyn Teregeyo regarding that incident,” he said.
Kristina Baird, the administrator of the courts, said the judiciary could not comment about any ongoing proceedings before the court.
Senator Terlaje said he wanted to bring it up because “when we checked with the Guam Police Department or even the court, there was no complaint made by this one individual.”
“And the reason why there was no complaint (is) because I would think that it didn’t happen at all,” Senator Terlaje said at the legislative hearing in March.
Joey Terlaje