Diving instructor William Saron Capayas pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of possessing child pornography.
A federal jury trial is scheduled for February 10, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Capayas was arrested on Nov. 18 following a federal complaint accusing him of possessing child sexual abuse material on his Apple iPad.
At his arraignment, Capayas, represented by attorney Richard Miller, waived formal reading of the charge and of his rights. Assistant U.S. Attorney Garth Backe appeared for the government.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI accepted the not guilty plea and set the trial date. She allowed Capayas to remain free on an unsecured bond.
On Dec. 4, a federal grand jury in the NMI returned an indictment charging Capayas with one count of possession of child pornography and seeking forfeiture of property allegedly used in the offense.
According to the indictment, Capayas “knowingly possessed material that contained images of child pornography” that had been mailed, shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, including by computer. The indictment seeks forfeiture of any property used to facilitate the alleged crime.
FBI Special Agent Richard Bauer stated the case began on Oct. 6, when a witness identified as C1 reported meeting Capayas on a Saipan scuba trip. Capayas allegedly asked C1 to repair a malfunctioning device, and while backing up the iPad’s photo files, the witness saw two images he recognized as child sexual abuse material. The witness stopped the download and contacted the FBI.
Bauer obtained a search warrant and confirmed the device belonged to Capayas. A forensic review allegedly revealed 149 images of child sexual abuse material and 14 images depicting bestiality.
During an Oct. 31 interview, Capayas admitted to owning the iPad, stating he used it primarily to access the internet and view pornography. He told investigators he was the only person with access to the device.
“Capayas admitted that aside from viewing adult pornography, he also viewed and saved videos of children as young as 3 or 4 years old,” Bauer wrote. “He kept the material because he found it to be ‘different.’”
Bauer said there is probable cause Capayas violated Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B).
