14 Criminal Charges Filed Against CNMI Governor

The Office of the Attorney General filed the criminal case on Friday.
By /
Reading time: 1 minute.

The Governor of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands has been charged with several criminal counts alleging misconduct, theft and contempt.

CNMI Gov. Ralph Torres. Courtesy: CNMI Office of Governor

CNMI’s Office of the Attorney General filed the criminal charges against Gov. Ralph Torres on Friday, including 12 counts of misconduct in public office, one count of theft and one count of contempt for failure to appear in compliance with a subpoena.

The charges revolve around the events that led to the House of Representatives impeachment of Torres on Jan. 12, including first- and business-class travel with public funds between April 2018 and May 2019.

The single count of contempt relates to Torres’ failure to appear before the House Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee, which eventually filed the charges of impeachment.

CNMI’s predominantly Republican Senate has not yet scheduled its impeachment trial.

Support public service journalism and your gift will be matched

As a local newsroom, Civil Beat has a unique public service role in times of crisis.

That’s why we’re committed to a paywall-free website and subscription-free content, so we can get vital information out to everyone, from all communities.

We are deploying a significant amount of our resources to covering the Maui fires, and your support ensures that we can pivot when these types of emergencies arise.

Make a gift to Civil Beat today and your donation will be matched up to $10,000 thanks to the generosity of the WHH Foundation.

Contribute

About the Author

Top Stories

Matthew Leonard: The End Of Pandemic Assistance Hit Households Hard Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023

Matthew Leonard: The End Of Pandemic Assistance Hit Households Hard

Beth Fukumoto: Public Officials Aren’t The Only Ones Under Threat From Bullying Getty Images/iStockphoto

Beth Fukumoto: Public Officials Aren’t The Only Ones Under Threat From Bullying

Chad Blair: This Group Of UH Experts Has Become A One-Stop Shop For Policy Analyses Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2015

Chad Blair: This Group Of UH Experts Has Become A One-Stop Shop For Policy Analyses

Landlords Hosting Illegal Game Rooms Could Face Fines Of $1,000 Per Day David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Landlords Hosting Illegal Game Rooms Could Face Fines Of $1,000 Per Day

The Sunshine Blog: Trump On The Ballot Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

The Sunshine Blog: Trump On The Ballot

Hawaiian Electric Industries Hires Utility Bankruptcy Expert As CFO Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2015

Hawaiian Electric Industries Hires Utility Bankruptcy Expert As CFO