The Democratic Party of Guam is refusing to answer directly whether party leaders should have listened to then-Congressman Michael San Nicolas’s 2022 warning of corruption within the present Democratic administration. In a statement the party released to Kandit Monday night that calls for the public’s presumption of innocence of Democrat Lt. Governor Joshua Tenorio’s family members indicted by a federal grand jury for corruption, party leaders have avoided answering whether Mr. Tenorio should resign, what Governor Lou Leon Guerrero should do about this predicament, and whether the party is concerned about next year’s elections.
Mr. Tenorio is the only declared Democratic candidate for governor in next year’s election.
Kandit emailed and asked Democratic party leaders the following questions:
- Can I get the party’s reaction to last week’s federal indictments?
- In 2022, then-Congressman Michael San Nicolas, a Democrat, publicly warned that federal funds he secured during the pandemic were being misspent by the current administration. In hindsight, what does the party think of their own member’s 2022 warning?
- Should more have listened?
- What should have been done?
- What should Governor Lou Leon Guerrero do now?
- Should Josh Tenorio resign?
- What does the party think of his ongoing gubernatorial run?
- What concerns does the party have over how these indictments might affect Democrats’ chances in next year’s election?
Party executive director Stephanie Flores – noting that she is the author of the Democratic Party of Guam response “in consultation with and at the direction of the current party officers,” and that another (unnamed) party officer drafted the response to which Ms. Flores made changes – provided the following party response:
“Thank you for your questions seeking the Democratic Party of Guam’s reaction to last week’s federal indictments and other issues. We respect the judicial process and hold dear the principle that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and recognize the importance of allowing the legal proceedings to take their course without speculation. We acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations outlined in the Indictments and trust that our system of laws will operate as it should without interference from anyone.”
“The news of indictments related to the support of the COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Response is deeply disturbing. The Republican Party of Guam has and will continue to demand transparency relative to the use of federal funds on Guam. Collectively, we are concerned that any money that did not allegedly make it to those who needed it the most following this particular effort must be corrected. Our community deserves better from our elected and appointed officials. While we expect that justice will be served in these cases, public trust of the actions of our executive branch takes yet another hit. Examples are mounting that question the Leon Guerrero Administration’s true commitment to transparency, integrity, and accountability.
“In these difficult moments, we keep the people of Guam in our thoughts and prayers. May we all continue to seek truth and healing—God bless our island and her people.”
For background on this case, which was formed by grand jury indictment in the U.S. District Court of Guam Wednesday, and unsealed Friday, see the text of Kandit’s Friday evening story below:
Multiple members of Guam Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio’s family have been indicted by a federal grand jury on an array of public corruption charges. Mr. Tenorio has denied involvement in the alleged conspiracy, and in separate statements from himself and the Office of the Governor, Adelup is asserting that Mr. Tenorio is not under federal investigation. Governor’s spokeswoman Krystal Paco-San Agustin has yet to answer Kandit’s inquiry as to whether either the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the U.S. Attorney’s Office told the governor or lieutenant governor that Mr. Tenorio was not under investigation.
Mr. Tenorio’s partner, Matthew Topasna, the lieutenant governor’s sister, Charissa Tenorio, her boyfriend, Frankie Rosalin, Mr. Rosalin’s mother, Tina Sanchez, Ms. Sanchez’s sister, Winnie Jo Santos, former Guam Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program manager Kathleen Peredo, and former Guam PUA office worker Marlene Pinaula were charged by the grand jury Wednesday. The case was unsealed Friday afternoon. All seven of the defendants now face trial on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, 18 counts of mail fraud, one count of federal program theft, one count of money laundering, and two counts of witness tampering.
They are accused, according to the indictment, of defrauding the federal government out of $1.9 million in federal pandemic funds meant to go to qualified Guamanians in need.
If convicted of all counts, they each face scores of years in prison. The defendants were arrested today, and according to federal court documents are to be arraigned on July 3.
The indictment confirms testimony of two witnesses Kandit interviewed and featured in March, who vouched for the federal corruption investigation, and alleged that Ms. Tenorio and Mr. Topasna were key figures in a multi-million dollar public corruption conspiracy involving federal funds.
According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to use a business owned and operated by Ms. Tenorio and Mr. Rosalin – Comfort Cutz – and a business owned by Mr. Topasna – Haute Dog & Co. – to fraudulently enrich themselves and others through the PUA program.
“Defendants and others solicited individuals in Guam to apply for pandemic unemployment benefits,” the indictment alleges. “Defendants and others falsely represented to these prospective beneficiaries that they qualified for pandemic unemployment benefits.”
The two witnesses Kandit interviewed and featured in March using aliases and modulated voices – “Tyler” and “Pat” – also alleged these crimes, and further alleged that Ms. Tenorio was the mastermind of the conspiracy.
Tyler and Pat further alleged that Ms. Tenorio swindled most of the recipients – many of whom were poor and some of whom were homeless – into giving her the vast majority of the PUA benefits they were paid by the government. Pat alleged that the conspiracy extended to employees at two local banks. Pat also alleged a bank fraud conspiracy, which is not mentioned in the current indictment.
Pat alleged that hundreds of PUA applications were processed through Mr. Topasna’s business, Haute Dog and Co. which she said was a hot dog stand that was never known to be in operation beyond a few days.
According to the indictment, Ms. Tenorio, Ms. Sanchez, and Ms. Santos provided the applications for the victims to complete, and would have the victims write in their names and sign the applications, leaving the rest blank for someone else to fill out. The prospective PUA applicants, who needed verifications of employment that would show a loss of income due to the pandemic, received falsified VOEs from Comfort Cuts that bore Mr. Rosalin’s signature.
“In fact, Comfort Cuts continued operating during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the indictment alleges. “Comfort Cuts continued to perform and receive payment for work on several Guam government contracts, including for work performed at GDOL.”
The defendants allegedly used other businesses to funnel through fraudulent PUA applications, according to the indictment. For those, “members of the conspiracy completed self-attestation forms on behalf of the applicants that made various false claims about the applicant’s work history and employment status in order to make it appear the applicant was eligible for pandemic unemployment benefits.”
The federal government alleges that the lieutenant governor’s boyfriend, Mr. Topasna, “provided letters to his employees and to individuals who had never worked for [Haute Dog & Co.] falsely claiming” that they had been employed at HDC and furloughed due to Covid-19. Mr. Topasna also “applied for pandemic unemployment benefits on his own behalf and falsely claimed that HDC never operated.”
Validating “Tyler” and “Pat’s” March 2025 testimony to Kandit, the indictment alleges that the defendants also submitted PUA applications for people who were unaware of the applications.
“Pinaula and Peredo consulted with Tenorio directly, used their access and knowledge of the HireGuam computer system to check on the fraudulent applications and in many cases, approved the fraudulent applications for payment,” the indictment states. “After the fraudulent applications were approved, the applicants began receiving benefits either through direct deposit to a specified bank account or through checks received by U.S. mail.”
Further validating the March witness statements, the federal government alleges that Ms. Tenorio, Ms. Sanchez, and Ms. Santos directed PUA recipients “to turn over half or more of the initial payment in cash to Tenorio at the Comfort Cuts office.”
In many cases, the indictment states, the three women would accompany the PUA beneficiary victims to the bank where the victims would cash the benefits checks “in order to make sure that a portion of the cash was turned over to Tenorio.”
In many cases, the indictment states, the fraudulent checks were signed over to Ms. Sanchez or Ms. Santos.
“In at least one instance, fraudulent pandemic unemployment benefits were deposited directly into a bank account Tenorio controlled,” the indictment states, which is another allegation “Pat” also made against Ms. Tenorio.
On top of the fraud involving PUA and the fact of Comfort Cuts’ continued operation during the pandemic, Comfort Cuts stopped paying the regular wages of its employees who fraudulently received PUA benefits, “and treated the pandemic unemployment benefits as if they were payment for their services.”
Ms. Pinaula, Ms. Peredo, “and others” also fraudulently completed the weekly certifications on behalf of the applicants who were unknowingly receiving illegal payments, according to the indictment. The two then-PUA program employees also allegedly held onto PUA checks, preventing them from being mailed to beneficiaries, “and instead delivered them to members of the conspiracy.”
According to “Tyler” in the March 2025 interview with Kandit, Ms. Peredo attempted to intimidate Tyler using the color of her authority and threat of an investigation into Tyler’s application for PUA if Tyler did not do as Ms. Tenorio commanded.
Out of the seven who were indicted, according to the indictment, Mr. Rosalin, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Topasna, and Ms. Santos submitted fraudulent PUA applications in their own names. At the time of the alleged conspiracy, Mr. Rosalin was the marina manager at the Port Authority of Guam, making an annual gross salary of nearly $100,000.
According to “Pat” in the March 2025 interview, Mr. Topasna conspired to cause his unqualified nephew to received PUA benefits under Haute Dog & Co. Pat also alleged that the PUA office, through Ms. Tenorio, awarded PUA benefits to a child within the Tenorio family.
The indictment details at least some of the instances of wire fraud – the movement of money through various accounts – money laundering, and mail fraud before describing alleged August 6, and August 7, 2024 incidents. According to the indictment, Ms. Tenorio and Ms. Sanchez on August 6 that year harassed a person in an attempt to “hinder, delay, prevent, and dissuade” that person from cooperating with the ongoing federal investigation.
As reported by Kandit since November of 2024, the federal investigation into Ms. Tenorio and the others kicked off in July of last year as federal agents executed search warrants on Ms. Tenorio’s properties; meaning, she was aware an investigation was happening.
On August 6 that year, according to the indictment, Ms. Tenorio allegedly harassed another person in an attempt to tamper with a witness of the investigation.
