Casino raid targets NMI governor, brothers, and wives in huge RICO case
By Jacob Nakamura
(Susupe, Saipan) The Federal Bureau of Investigation raids in Saipan are much bigger than anyone could have imagined. Copies of the warrants served on the Chinese-backed Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) casino and FBI property receipts reveal that Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Governor Ralph Torres is indeed the target of this massive investigation and that they are looking at him for violations of the Hobbs Act – Corruption of Public Officials, which means this is a RICO case.
One warrant and receipts reveal the FBI are seizing evidence of money laundering, fraud, corruption related to Governor Torres, all of his brothers and all of their wives – except for one.
They are seizing documents pertaining to their income, houses, vehicles, boats, land transactions, art work, jewelry and even travel.
The FBI seized from Imperial Pacific main offices hundreds of boxes of documents relating to receipts, payments, contractors, corporate structure, payments to the Torres brothers, some wives and business affiliates.
Former Guam Chief Prosecutor Phil Tydingco’s name even appears in one FBI receipt as he was given back many cell phones that had been seized by agents when they stormed Tydingco’s office and other offices of the Casino. Tydingco – brother of Guam federal judge Frances Tydingco Gatewood is an employee of the Chinese backed casino and serves as their in-house main legal counsel.
The FBI also took tax documents that correlate with the time frame of the tax lien the IRS placed on former Guam senator Carmen Fernandez. As we reported last week, Carmen Fernandez on paper is the sole owner of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC. That is the company in Saipan that owns the casino.
Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Imperial Pacific International Holdings, which is a Hong Kong-based company incorporated in the Bahamas. Inventive Star Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, is the ultimate holding company Imperial Pacific International Holdings.
A billionaire Chinese woman named Cui Li Jie is the ultimate controlling party.
