The Torres administration attempted to make an eleventh hour payment of $2 million to an organization entitled KKMP Charitable Foundation. According to the only information the current Department of Finance has been able to provide to Kandit, the amount was obligated, but has yet to be paid.
DOF’s Office of the Secretary has yet to provide information as to what the payment would have been for.
According to a January 23, 2023 report of transactions between the Commonwealth government and KKMP (Blue Continental Communications, Inc. and KKMP Charitable Foundation), former Gov. Ralph Torres obligated more than $3 million to KKMP, and actually paid KKMP $1,007,701.
The report indicates that all 45 transactions were conducted without a competitive procurement trail, and no contracts.
The majority of the 45 transactions, 39 of which resulted in payments to KKMP, were for advertisements on KKMP radio. This included a payment for a “Superbowl Radio Commercial” on March 28, 2022. More than two-thirds of the transactions, or 33 of them, were made prior to the election for governor in 2022.
Several of the transactions coincide with messages that ran on KKMP featuring the former governor, and on occasions befitting exposure politically advantageous to Mr. Torres and his former running mate, former Sen. Vinnie Sablan. These include New Year, Labor Day, Christmas, and Easter advertisements. Several payments were made to KKMP, according to this report, for the Boating Safety program, which is federally funded.
Payments in the tens of thousands each to KKMP appear on the report with general comments indicating “Radio Public Awareness,” but with no other justification.
The sources of funding are not indicated in the report, except for indications under payments made to the so-called charitable foundation of “ARPA NONPROFIT” awards and drawdowns. There are three of those totaling $300,000 in payments made between June and October 2022, which coincides with the race for governor.
4 Comments
Tina
03/18/2023 at 5:46 AM
2 million & still lost.
8 million & still lost.
Million in boost & still lost.
How 😈 evil & still thinks he didn’t do anything wrong 🤔
Apologize to the people then go spend the rest of your life in hell because that’s what you put us thru.
Russ Mason
03/18/2023 at 12:41 PM
It is my hope that the Feds and the Texas prosecutor will send R. Torres away for many years. There’s a new penal lockup in Nicaragua, so I hope he never learns Spanish.
Mabel Doge Luhan
03/18/2023 at 3:11 PM
We should be GRATEFUL for these public servants’ valiant efforts to conserve federal resources. Quickly setting up “nonprofits” then “donating” millions of government dollars to them is equivalent to filing a SAR on yourself. They must not teach that at Cooley High.
Poor Zaldy, though! Saipan hath no fury like a sycophant scorned! Perhaps (after requesting permission to speak) he can ask the bossman what Gary’s sword has that Zaldy’s dandan doesn’t?
Some possums never learn: all you ever get from nuts on your chin is nuts on your chin.
Russ Mason
03/19/2023 at 10:27 AM
Don’t blame Zaldy. Blame the reprehensible Laila Boyer Yoonis.