Noel S. Saluta, 39, assaulted Alejandro Orellano with a knife on April 19, 2009, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
But Saluta said he was accused of an act that he did not commit.
His case has not been scheduled for hearing, Variety learned.
“I like to be cleared of that accusation,” he said, adding that he plans to sue his accuser.
“I have witnesses during the incident,” he added.
The CNMI Department of Labor said Saluta and his wife, who is also jobless, are out of status and can be deported, but he maintains that he has a pending labor case.
Saluta referred this reporter to the lawyer who handled his labor complaint, Robert Myers.
In an e-mail, Myers said he represented Saluta “in a limited scope of appealing to the secretary of Labor.”
He said the department either “denied that it was filed or just completely ignored the filing.”
Saluta said he, his wife and five children were moving to a house in Kagman III owned by Segundo Castro.
He said they continue to get food assistance and moral support from friends and members of the community.
“We would like to thank the people who understand our situation and continue to give us support,” the couple said.
Saluta lost his job at a water company in 2007, while his wife, a former garment worker who holds an umbrella permit, has been unemployed since 2003.
They attracted media attention after they were seen at the Susupe Beach Park where they sought shelter after being evicted from their Chalan Kanoa apartment.
They could no longer pay rent because the federal housing assistance provided by the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems Inc. expired on Aug. 15.
Through the help of former Northern Marianas College President Carmen Fernandez, they were provided temporary accommodations at the Sun Palace Hotel for three days.
Saluta said he and his family, who remain dependent on food stamps and other government assistance, intend to remain on island.
