Shayne Villanueva
BECAUSE the judiciary was closed for the Easter holiday on Monday, April 1, the arraignment of former BOOST contractor Shayne Blanco Villanueva will be held today, Tuesday, April 2, at 9 a.m. in the courtroom of Superior Court Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja.
According to the information filed by Assistant Attorney General James Robert Kingman on March 28, Villanueva is charged with contempt of Legislature.
“On or about May 5, 2024, on Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Shayne Blanco Villanueva…, having appeared in compliance with a subpoena, failed or refused to answer relevant questions by or on behalf of an investigating committee, to wit questions posed by Rep. Blas Jonathan ‘BJ’ T. Attao of the Special Committee on Federal Assistance and Disaster-Related Funding, made unlawful by 1 CMC § 1306 and made punishable by 1 CMC § 1307(a) with a fine of not more than $1,000, imprisonment up to one (1) year, or both,” the information stated.
Villanueva self-surrendered at the Department of Corrections after an arrest warrant was issued against him for contempt. He posted $1,000 bail and was released.
The arrest warrant was signed by Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo on March 11, and was served on Villanueva on March 22.
Villanueva is the owner of Roil Soil Marketing, which the administration of then-Gov. Ralph DLG Torres contracted to help implement the $17 million federally funded Building Optimism, Opportunities and Stability Together or BOOST program in 2022.
According to the House Special Committee Federal Assistance & Disaster-Related Funding, the documents it gathered indicate that Villanueva was paid $215,000 “at the very least,” by the previous administration for implementing the program.
On March 5, 2024, Villanueva appeared before the committee and invoked his Fifth Amendment right when asked questions about BOOST.
