By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
THE U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and the NMI has formally responded to a motion filed by federal inmate Bing Li seeking the return of his personal property, stating that the items in question were discarded under CNMI Department of Corrections procedures.
Li, currently serving time in Missouri, has petitioned the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to return a jade necklace with a talisman and legal documents that he claims were confiscated during his 2023 detention on Saipan.
Li said the pendant is a family heirloom of deep sentimental value. In a series of letters submitted to the court, he alleges that staff at both the Saipan prison and the federal holding facility took the item upon his arrival and failed to respond to repeated inquiries.
Li is scheduled for release and deportation to China on Dec. 25, 2025, and argues that the return of the pendant is urgent.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona treated Li’s letters as a motion under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41(g) and directed the U.S. government to respond.
According to the U.S. government’s response filed Oct. 16, 2025, Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force Officer Raymond Renguul confirmed that the federal agency did not confiscate the property during Li’s arrest. Subsequent inquiries with CNMI Corrections revealed that the items were not transferred with Li and remained unclaimed due to the absence of an authorized recipient listed in his inmate file.
CNMI Corrections Captain Joaquin C. Sablan stated in a letter that the property was held temporarily but was ultimately considered abandoned and disposed of, per department policy. Although CNMI Corrections records confirm the property was confiscated at intake, no documentation exists regarding its disposal.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert S. Flores Jr. said the federal government is unable to return the property, citing the presumed disposal by CNMI Corrections as the reason.
Variety was unable to get a comment from CNMI Corrections.
