Parole Board members Anthony Macaranas, Francine Nekai and Lucinda Selepeo, the acting chair.
THE CNMI Board of Parole last June 2 denied the parole applications of Titomir K. Bhuiyan and Bradley Defang, but granted the parole application of Steven Hasugulgam.
According to Chief of Parole Nick Reyes, “We will surrender [Hasugulgam] to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation as soon as he gets a plane ticket. As of now, he will be detained until such time they get his plane ticket to be deported.”
Reyes said there were supposedly four applicants for parole, but Calistro Acosta Crisostomo’s application was incomplete. “He only put one case number in his application; he needs to reapply,” Reyes added.
Parole Board Acting Chair Lucinda Selepeo said, “Regarding the first two applications, the six board members voted on them and there was a tie, which means the applications were denied.”
As for Hasugulgam, Selepeo said, “It was a no brainer. If we were to grant him parole, he would be sent off-island. We voted unanimously.”
Board member Francine Nekai believes “everyone deserves a second chance to try to live a normal regular life…and if I was to deny [an application] it means they are not ready to be out.”
As for newly appointed board member Anthony Macaranas, he said the process is something new to him.
“As a retired police officer, I always consider the victims, but of course I also consider the person who is incarcerated, is s/he ready? Is s/he a reformed person? Are they ready for the society? Those are the things that we consider when we are voting to grant parole. The magnitude of the crime too that we have to take into account. We must understand the impact on the victim when an applicant is paroled. Their safety can be jeopardized because the person that harmed them will be out of the institution,” Macaranas said.
He added, “Granting parole is also an opportunity for the inmate to go out there and improve his or her life, instead of staying in the institution just doing nothing. Out there they can find a way how to live to be a model citizen. The other thing too is when we give them the opportunity, they can go to school, find a job, help their family — those are some of the things they need to do to help themselves. The other thing, too, when we talk to them, we make sure they don’t associate again with people that brought them to the institution.”
Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds opposes the granting of parole for the three individuals.
Bhuiyan is serving 16 years for kidnapping, conspiracy, aggravated assault and battery, theft of vehicle, and disturbing the peace.
Defang is serving five years for robbery.
Hasugulgam is serving a 10-year sentence for eight separate counts of burglary in different cases.
Chief of Parole Nick Reyes with Parole Board members Anthony Macaranas, Francine Nekai and Lucinda Selepeo, the acting chair.
