A BENCH trial before Superior Court Associate Judge Wesley Bogdan has been scheduled for Jan. 16, 2024, at 9 a.m. in the case of a woman accused of assaulting a government attorney.
Nanami Deleon Guerrero Mafnas was charged with one count of assault and battery, and one count of disturbing the peace.
At a hearing on July 20, Mafnas, represented by Assistant Public Defender Karie Comstock, chose to proceed to trial instead of pleading guilty.
Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio, who was initially assigned to handle the case, has recused herself from presiding over the case because of a conflict.
According to the prosecution, “On or about March 18, 2023, on Saipan…, the defendant…did unlawfully strike, beat, wound, or otherwise cause bodily harm to Keisha Blaise, to wit: Defendant grabbed the victim by her braided hair, pulled her out of the vehicle, and hit her face and body, in violation of 6 CMC § 1202(a), and made punishable by 6 CMC §§ 1202(b) and 4101(c) [with a maximum punishment of 1 year imprisonment, $1,000 fine, or both].”
Furthermore, on or about March 18, 2023, on Saipan, the defendant “did unlawfully and willfully commit an act which unreasonably annoyed or disturbed another person so that the other person is deprived of her right to peace and quiet, or which provokes a breach of the peace, to wit: Defendant physically assaulted the victim, causing her to feel scared to leave home, in violation of 6 CMC § 3101(a) and made punishable by 6 CMC §§ 3101(b) and 4101(d) [with a maximum punishment of six months imprisonment, $500 fine, or both].”
Prior to the incident, Blake, a civil division lawyer of the Office of the Attorney General, was having a drink with her boyfriend, who is also a civil division attorney, and Mafnas at a Kagman residence.
Later, according to the complaint, Mafnas opened the door of Blake’s vehicle where the government attorney was resting and assaulted her.
