Jose Padilla, the IPS principal partner, said Brian Kendall’s allegations were “not accurate.”
In a statement, Padilla said IPS “does acknowledge that there was a disagreement between Jose and Mr. Kendall on Tuesday morning. Mr. Kendall came by the IPS office, and IPS was simply unable to satisfy his demands. Mr. Kendall’s characterization of these events is, however, not accurate.”
IPS “understands and appreciates the public’s concern and interest in IPS and its contract to manage funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. IPS has performed these contract obligations diligently and responsibly for the benefit of the entire CNMI and its people. IPS and its employees are proud of these efforts.”
Padilla said IPS maintains a staff of six employees and one high school intern, “all of whom take very seriously IPS’s responsibility to manage ARRA funds for the benefit of the CNMI.”
He added that “IPS and its employees continue to maintain these efforts to preserve and protect these funds, benefits, and the projects and people they support.”
In an interview, Kendall said Padilla became “instantly aggressive, slandering, threatening myself, and my family,” when he met the IPS principal partner in his office at the Marianas Business Plaza.
Kendall said it was Padilla who invited him to IPS office to show documents indicating that “what IPS is doing is legal.”
Kendall said Padilla earlier sent him a message through Kendall’s Facebook account, and invited Kendall to become Padilla’s online friend.
Kendall said Padilla told him that the messages he, Kendall, was posting on his Facebook account about the IPS contract “were wrong and were hurting people.”
Kendall said Padilla then invited him to the IPS office.
On Tuesday morning, at 7:30 a.m., together with his one-and-a-half-year-old son, Kendall met Padilla at the IPS office.
“He invited me to educate me about IPS and the ARRA contract,” Kendall said.
Kendall said when Padilla told him to “go to the back side of the office,” he declined because he was only expecting to pick up the documents that Padilla promised to provide him.
“He then became adversarial, dominating, intimidating,” Kendall said.
Padilla shouted profanities at him “many times,” Kendall added.
“I have no reason to lie,” Kendall said, adding that a female staffer witnessed the incident.
Kendall said he immediately reported the matter to the Department of Public Safety at about 7:45 a.m.
