BRANDON M. Rangamar has filed a civil complaint in federal court against the CNMI government, the Department of Public Safety, Marianas Variety and Saipan Tribune, accusing them of violating his constitutional rights.
Rangamar, who represents himself, is suing the CNMI government for permitting a law that allows any worldwide or local entity to broadly publish damaging detailed information of crimes still pending in court proceedings.
Rangamar said DPS publicly “embarrassed me by posting my photo and damaging detailed information of my alleged crime on Facebook on April 7, 2021.”
He said Marianas Variety and Saipan Tribune published headlines “with careless defamation and slander.”
Rangamar asked the federal court to issue an order “correcting the law that the CNMI government has created.”
He said the CNMI Superior Court has set multiple court dates for his case, “and this has caused me and my immediate family members a lot of stress, embarrassment, loss of possible employment and loss of motivation to function as a regular citizen.”
He added, “I now live daily in fear of [the] CNMI government, CNMI police and CNMI citizens of possible unlawful retaliation or repercussions to my filing of this civil complaint in federal court,” Rangamar said.
“I ask the court to order responsible defendants to publicly apologize…and pay all…punitive or exemplary money damages. I humbly ask this court to intervene and make a quick resolution so that I may resume living a normal life, not living in embarrassment and in fear,” Rangamar said.
He accused the defendants of violating his 5th and 14th Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution.
The 5th Amendment pertains to the right of due process, self-incrimination, and double jeopardy clause while the 14th Amendment refers to the right against denial of equal protection under the law.
Rangamar also asked the federal court to waive the payment of filing fees for his complaint.
According to DPS, on Feb. 21, 2021, at about 7:37 p.m., police received a 911 call reporting a stalking incident in Chalan Laulau. Police were dispatched to the scene.
At the scene, police met with the caller who stated that a male individual later identified as Brandon M. Rangamar had been looking through the bathroom window while the female victim was taking a shower.
The victim stated that this was not the first incident that had occurred. Sometime during Nov. 2020, the victim woke up and saw Rangamar sitting on her bedside. She immediately told him to leave.
She said another incident occurred about a month later, when the victim was cooking lunch in her home. She said the suspect came in and hugged the victim from behind in a tight manner. The victim asked Rangamar to leave or she would seek police assistance.
On April 7, 2021, a complaint and affidavit of probable cause for the issuance of an arrest warrant for Brandon M. Rangamar was signed by Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio who set bail at $7,500 cash.
The charges were disturbing the peace and stalking.
On the same day, at about 4:46 p.m., Rangamar was arrested at his residence in Chalan Laulau.
Brandon M. Rangamar
