Martin pleads not guilty to visa fraud charges

By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff

AT his arraignment before Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy on Friday morning, Venerando Aquino Martin pleaded not guilty to five counts of visa fraud.

Through his court-appointed attorney, Mark Scoggins, Martin waived the reading of the charges and any further advisement of his rights. Assistant U.S. Attorney Garth Backe appeared for the federal government.

Following the plea, the District Court for the NMI scheduled a jury trial for Jan. 6, 2026, at 10 a.m. Judge Kennedy noted that a status report confirmed Martin has complied with all conditions of release and reminded him to continue doing so.

Martin is accused of fraudulently filing green card applications for himself and 242 others under the C16 eligibility category, which requires continuous residence in the United States since before Jan. 1, 1972.

On Oct. 30, a federal grand jury in the District Court for the NMI issued an indictment charging Martin with five counts of visa fraud. The charges also seek forfeiture of assets tied to the alleged crimes, and substitute property if the original assets cannot be recovered.

According to the complaint, in August 2024, Homeland Security Investigations-Saipan investigators received tips from independent sources, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, regarding suspicious immigration benefit filings.

“Specifically, approximately 242 immigration benefit applications for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) under the same eligibility category (C16) were submitted listing the same Saipan mailing address (‘Target Mailing’),” the complaint stated.

Law enforcement database checks linked the address to Martin, who listed his physical residence as Adobu Drive in Koblerville, Saipan. Records show Martin, a Philippine national, first entered the CNMI on or about Sept. 10, 2000.

Investigators said Martin submitted Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) and Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) on June 25, 2023, using the same mailing address. USCIS issued him an EAD while his I-485 application was pending.

A review of the filings revealed Martin selected the C16 category, despite border-crossing records and his own statements confirming he had not been continuously present in the U.S. since before 1972, as required.

Additional filings in March 2024 linked to Martin’s address raised further red flags, investigators said.

Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.