ATTORNEY Janet King is accusing the Department of Public Safety of releasing a tampered surveillance video that implicated two gynecologists in what appeared to be a shoplifting incident.
King represents Drs. Geoffrey Fraiche and Laura Webb, both employed by the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation.
“This incident at ABC Store happened on September 1,” King said. “My law office investigated the matter and interviewed Mr. Ray Borja, the ABC Store manager, on September 3. He explained that when he contacted DPS, he only asked that officers reach out to Dr. Webb so the item could be returned, as he believed it had been taken by mistake.”
She added, “The item was returned to ABC Store that same day, and Mr. Borja even remarked that it was a mistake and that ‘people forget.’”
According to King, the harm stems from the fact that “a video in DPS custody was tampered with, edited to suggest intentional wrongdoing, and then leaked to the public.”
“That leak never should have happened,” she said. “The harm has been immediate and significant. This incident is a reminder that reputations are fragile. If businesses release customer surveillance footage that is later edited to suggest guilt, would you feel safe shopping there? And if law enforcement mishandles surveillance video in its custody, how can the public maintain confidence?”
She said, “There must be accountability, a finding of misconduct, and a formal internal investigation. Otherwise, this could happen to anyone—including you or me.”
DPS, for its part, issued the following statement Friday morning: “If the two doctors and their attorney have supporting evidence to say DPS and/or an officer released the video, they should provide it to the Commissioner’s Office to launch an internal investigation into the matter.”
In response to this, King said, “Yes, we do.”
On Wednesday, a viral video surfaced depicting what appeared to be a shoplifting incident implicated the two doctors.
An ABC Store Saipan staffer confirmed to Variety that the incident occurred on Sept. 1 and said a complaint had been filed with the Department of Public Safety. The staffer declined to provide further details, citing the pending complaint.
The viral video showed a woman in a blue dress appearing to place an item in her bag at ABC Store, a tourist shop on Hotel Street in Garapan. She was accompanied by a man, said to be her husband. DPS accused of releasing tampered video surveillance.
