By Nancy I. Maanao
(Tumon, Guam) A review of receipts for reimbursement from the Governor's Office reveals Ralph & Diann Torres and Yvette Sablan were not the only people benefitting from illegal expenditures charged to the Commonwealth; so was Mr. Torres's bodyguard, Joey Cruz.
On May 8, 2017, the same day Gov. Ralph Torres checked out of the Hyatt Regency Saipan from a four-night stay, he submitted a reimbursement memo approved by then-Secretary of Finance Larissa Larson. The memo lists a May 1, 2017 transaction receipt in the amount of $61.60 for room service at Room 812.
But the governor's room, according to the Hyatt receipt was 9008, and he was not even checked into the hotel until May 3, 2017. The credit card used to pay for the transaction, an American Express ending in 1009, belongs instead to Mr. Cruz, who stayed in Room 812 on May 1. Mr. Cruz received the food, Mr. Torres charged it to the Commonwealth, and the taxpayers footed the bill.
The same credit card number appears for the reimbursement of money paid to D&W Saipan, Inc. for a change of tires amounting to $250 for what is described in the July 16, 2016 reimbursement memo as "Governor's Vehicle LP# AEA 752." The Hyundai Genesis is a personal vehicle. This same license plate is listed in a gas receipt Kandit previously reported on. In this instance again, Mr. Torres was paid money by the taxpayers for a purchase he didn't make.
The charge with the most glaring similarity to Mr. Torres's penchant for shopping appears in Mr. Cruz's American Express credit card statement he submitted for reimbursement of official travel expenses. In it is an October 15, 2017 transaction at Sportsman's Warehouse in Meridian, Idaho, the same hunting gear shop, where Gov. Torres made similar purchases for hunting knives and other hunting supplies and food and charged the Commonwealth for it. The taxpayers reimbursed Mr. Cruz $466.50 for the purchases on his card.
Oh well, 60 bucks off the spot light. 🤷 Let's get back to the 60000000000 more. Lol
@fuckme thank you for the correction
Hyatt receipt is Guam not Saipan.
By the way, anybody can access this database:
https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/index.php/en/
Just enter in the words "Saipan" or "Guam" in the search bar and then when you get the results you can narrow it down further by selecting "date" on the right hand side menu.
Personally? I think Kandit should educate the public about who it is that collecting these federal dollars (whether or not it is scandalous).
Bottom line is that people at the top are the ones that know how to play the system and collect all the benefits on these government contracts. Just saying - some people like to blame the federal government for all the problems, but at the same time they like to silently collect the benefits.…
I use wine when I'm cooking. Sometimes I even add it to the food.