Camacho's campaign funded by Torres Brothers & casino
By Troy Torres
(Tumon, Guam) Direct relationships and cash flow between the casino and the Torres family and the man under whose committee in the CNMI House impeachment proceedings would fall under may explain why no such inquiry has started.
Congressman Joel C. Camacho paid for his election to the CNMI House of Representatives from two fundraisers in 2018. Of the five people who donated $500 or more to his campaign, one is a casino executive, and two are from the Torres family. The other two are his mother and father.
According to Mr. Camacho's 2018 Campaign Financial Disclosure filed January 17, 2019 with the Office of the Public Auditor, the Republican lawmaker raised a total $10,774 to fund his winning campaign into office. He held a fundraiser on May 3, 2018, where his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Serafin Camacho, donated $1,000. Fellow Republican and Gov. Ralph Torres's brother, Joaquin Torres, matched the Camachos's donation with his own $1,000 contribution.
Two months later, on July 19, 2018, Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC's legal matters vice president Viola Alepuyo donated $500 to his campaign. So did Gov. Torres's sister in law, Rowena Torres.
Mr. Camacho is the chairman of the House Judiciary and Government Operations committee - a key position for any impeachment inquiry. The committee also has oversight of the local courts of the Commonwealth; Ms. Alepuyo is married to Judge Joseph James Norita Camacho.
Aside from the money trail that connects Mr. Camacho to the casino and to the Torres family, his mother works for Torres Brothers, LLC.
Mr. Camacho has not returned Kandit's request for comment regarding any potential impeachment.
Slide through the images below to view the full financial disclosure:
