THE federal court on Friday ordered a man to appear in court and show cause why he should not be found in criminal contempt for allegedly disobeying the court’s order pertaining to a civil case.
U.S. District Court Judge Alex R. Munson said that if defendant John S. Pangelinan fails to appear at the June 6 hearing, the court would issue a warrant for his arrest.
Munson said the court finds that there is probable cause to believe that Pangelinan unlawfully disobeyed a court’s order by interfering with the right of the plaintiffs in a civil action to receive rent and other income from Marianas Seaside Development Corp. through the series of telephone calls and fax transmissions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Smith, on behalf of the U.S. government, sought for a court order to show cause for the purpose of initiating a criminal contempt proceeding against Pangelinan.
According to Smith, Pangelinan is among the defendants named in a 1997 civil action filed by Angelito Trinidad and other persons.
Smith said that on June 5, 2000, the court entered an amended judgment in the Trinidad action in favor of the plaintiffs and against all defendants, including Pangelinan, for fraud in the amount of $205,787; in the alternative for a civil RICO violation in the amount of $205,787; for attorney’s fees in the amount of $70,200; and costs in the amount of $3,375.
On July 12, 2001, Smith said, the court issued an order that, among other things, found Pangelinan together with his co-defendants in the Trinidad action in contempt for attempting to frustrate the implementation of the court’s orders.
Smith said the court’s Aug. 6, 2001 order enjoining the defendant from interfering with the right of the plaintiffs to receive from Marianas Seaside rent and other income has not been modified or vacated.
He said that in April 2002 and early this month, the defendant through a series of telephone calls and tax transmissions sought to and did prevent the timely payment of rent by Marianas Seaside to the plaintiffs in the Trinidad action.
