The U.S. government will intervene in the estate of Dolores Kaipat Pelisamen to secure Luis Pelisamen’s distribution to be applied toward his restitution in this case.
As of Aug. 15, 2011, Pelisamen still owed $340 of the $500 court special assessment fee, and $629,096.60 in criminal restitution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica F. Cruz told the U.S. District Court for the NMI.
Bennett said the court, having considered the motion for issuance of writ of execution, “finds that the application meets the requirements of 28 United States Code section 3203(c)(1).”
Last year, Mr. Pelisamen was convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $625,775 in restitution.
On Aug. 11, 2011, Cruz informed the federal court that she was told by a fellow federal prosecutor that Pelisamen, as an heir to the Dolores Kaipat Pelisamen estate, may be entitled to distribution.
The U.S. government was further informed that the administrator of the Dolores K. Pelisamen estate filed a petition in Superior Court for a decree of partial distribution, requesting that “[Luis Pelisamen’s] distribution…be offset and paid to the other heirs of the estate, which,” Cruz said, “would, in effect, deprive the victims in this case of restitution.”
Last April, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the federal court’s conviction of Luis Pelisamen.
He was the former administrator of the estate of Rita Kaipat, his grandmother, that received $1.37 million for distribution.
His former attorney, Joseph Arriola, was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
The federal court also ordered Arriola to pay restitution, jointly with Luis Pelisamen.
