Timothy P. Villagomez
Encyclopedia
Timothy Pangelinan Villagomez (born September 10, 1962 Saipan
) was the Lieutenant Governor
of the Northern Mariana Islands
who served under current Governor Benigno R. Fitial
until his resignation on April 26, 2009. Villagomez took office as Lieutenant Governor on January 9, 2006, after being elected as a ticket during the 2005 gubernatorial election. Villagomez, like Fitial, is a former member of the Republican Party
, but is currently a member of the Covenant Party
.
Villagomez is a relative of former Mariana Islands Governor Pedro Tenorio
and his wife, First Lady Sophia.
In August 2008, Villagomez was indicted on felony charges relating to the misuse of government funds. On April 24, 2009, he was found guilty along with former Commerce Secretary James A. Santos and Joaquina V. Santos relating to a scheme to defraud the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. through needless purchases of a de-scaling chemical called Rydlyme. Awaiting sentencing on July 28, 2009, Villagomez tendered his resignation on April 24.
Villagomez's sentencing was delayed until August 5, 2009, at which time he was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison
. He was sent to the Federal Correctional Institution at Phoenix
, Arizona
. His brother-in-law, Santos, and his wife were sentenced to 78 months. As of September 2009, the case was being appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Villagomez has since been transferred to the U.S. Penitentiary at Tucson
, Arizona with a projected release date of December 17, 2015.
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
) was the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has a self governing government consisting of a locally elected governor, Lieutenant Governor and the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The current Lieutenant Governor is Eloy Inos, who was appointed to fill the vacancy created when...
of the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
who served under current Governor Benigno R. Fitial
Benigno R. Fitial
Benigno Repeki Fitial is the current governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Fitial was elected on November 6, 2005 and assumed office on January 9, 2006 and was re-elected to a second, five-year term in 2009....
until his resignation on April 26, 2009. Villagomez took office as Lieutenant Governor on January 9, 2006, after being elected as a ticket during the 2005 gubernatorial election. Villagomez, like Fitial, is a former member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, but is currently a member of the Covenant Party
Covenant Party (Northern Mariana Islands)
The Covenant Party is a political party in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands advocating government and financial reform. In the legislative elections of 2003, the Covenant Party won nine of eighteen seats. In the 2005 elections, the Covenant Party increased its position as one of the...
.
Villagomez is a relative of former Mariana Islands Governor Pedro Tenorio
Pedro Tenorio
Pedro P. Tenorio was the second and fifth elected Governor of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.Tenorio was born on Saipan. He graduated from George Washington High School in Guam and attended the University of Guam. He has worked as a schoolteacher, a shipping...
and his wife, First Lady Sophia.
In August 2008, Villagomez was indicted on felony charges relating to the misuse of government funds. On April 24, 2009, he was found guilty along with former Commerce Secretary James A. Santos and Joaquina V. Santos relating to a scheme to defraud the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. through needless purchases of a de-scaling chemical called Rydlyme. Awaiting sentencing on July 28, 2009, Villagomez tendered his resignation on April 24.
Villagomez's sentencing was delayed until August 5, 2009, at which time he was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison
Federal prison
Federal prisons are run by national governments in countries where subdivisions of the country also operate prisons.In the United States federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In Canada the Correctional Service of Canada operates federal prisons. Prison sentences in these...
. He was sent to the Federal Correctional Institution at Phoenix
Federal Correctional Institution, Phoenix
Federal Correctional Institution, Phoenix is a U.S. federal prison located in Phoenix, Arizona. Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it is a medium-security facility housing male inmates and also has an adjacent satellite prison camp that houses minimum-security female offenders...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. His brother-in-law, Santos, and his wife were sentenced to 78 months. As of September 2009, the case was being appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Villagomez has since been transferred to the U.S. Penitentiary at Tucson
United States Penitentiary, Tucson
United States Penitentiary, Tucson is a prison operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons located in Tucson, Arizona. Located southeast of Downtown Tucson near Interstate 10 and Wilmot Road, the institution is part of a larger Federal Correctional Complex that includes Federal Correctional...
, Arizona with a projected release date of December 17, 2015.