BUSINESSMAN Dusean Berkich appeared in federal court yesterday and informed the judge that he would hire a Texas-based attorney to represent him in the conspiracy case to defraud Bank of Saipan of $6.6 million.
During his first appearance hearing in the U.S. District Court, Berkich appeared without a lawyer. He told Judge Alex R. Munson he wished to hire attorney Andrew Horn of Texas.
Berkich expects Horn to arrive on Saipan in two weeks.
But Munson continued the hearing for today at 10 a.m. in order for the defendant to contact an on-island attorney who would represent him for the arraignment.
Munson said if Berkich wanted to retain a lawyer from Texas he could make those arrangements after the arraignment.
According to the judge, the $100,000 bail previously set for Berkich will remain.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Berkich in California.
Meanwhile, Munson granted a motion of Berkich’s co-defendant, Tomas B. Aldan, that his conditions of release be modified to read that the defendant will not leave the CNMI without the written court approval.
Munson also granted the request of Aldan and co-defendant Douglas Bert Montgomery to vacate the pretrial motions deadline of June 7.
Munson said a new pretrial motions date would be set at today’s hearing.
The court said Aldan and Montgomery will be subject to pretrial services supervision of the U.S. Probation Office.
