Butalid change of plea hearing continued to Oct. 17

10/16/2025 - The change of plea hearing for Giselle Butalid has been continued to Friday, Oct. 17, after U.S. District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona allowed her more time to review discovery materials before formally entering a guilty plea.

Butalid, who appeared in custody at the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands on Oct. 14, was expected to change her plea, but her attorney, Joey San Nicolas, requested additional time. After a brief sidebar and discussion on the record, the court ordered the hearing reset for 1:30pm on Friday.

Butalid, a co-defendant in United States of America v. Giselle Butalid, et al., has been negotiating a plea deal with the government. Last Oct. 14, the court reviewed the plea agreement and noted amendments would be made consistent with statements in open court.

The Oct. 14 proceeding also addressed Butalid’s conditions of release. U.S. Probation officer Gregory Arriola confirmed that her residence is suitable for location monitoring. The court further ordered modifications to her release terms, including that the remaining $9,000 bond balance must be paid within 30 days of her release.

The issue of Butalid’s valid Philippine passport was also discussed. Although the document has not yet been located, the court ordered that if found, it must be surrendered to U.S. Probation. The Philippine Consulate General has been contacted regarding its cancellation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not oppose the modifications.

Butalid was ordered released last Oct. 14 after processing by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Her next court date is set for Oct. 17, when she is expected to formally enter her plea.

The indictment against Butalid and her mother, Clarissa Adlawan, alleges conspiracy to defraud the United States in counts 1-7, theft of federal program funds; and money laundering conspiracy, illegal monetary transactions, and structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements, counts 8-12 (Adlawan only). A notice of forfeiture under Titles 18 and 31 was also included.

According to the indictment, Butalid used to work for the Public School System under the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, and as part of her duties then included keeping accurate records and data relevant to federal grant projects and reporting this information to the grant director.

This position, the indictment stated, provided Butalid with access to critical information and data, such as the electronic signatures of OCI managers, vendor invoices, and funding information of the OCI program, which in turn, enabled her to access and exploit PSS' procurement process.

Meanwhile, Arriola reported that Adlawan has met all requirements for release set by the U.S. District Court.

Arriola, during the same court proceedings last Oct. 14, said Adlawan’s residence is now equipped with a verified landline and analog phone required for location monitoring. He confirmed that the defendant has complied with all conditions imposed by the court.

With the compliance requirements now in place, Adlawan is expected to be released from the CNMI Department of Corrections.

Report by Mark Rabago