Embedded Files
12/02/2025 - The Office of the Attorney General and former governor Ralph DLG Torres appear to be moving toward a settlement in the latter’s criminal and contempt cases.
This development came after assistant attorney general David Karch, the special prosecutor in the case, told judge pro tempore Arthur R. Barcinas during a Dec. 1 scheduling conference in Superior Court—conducted entirely through Zoom—that the OAG wants to “work toward a settlement here, not a trial.”
Karch also told Barcinas that he needs two to three months to confer with Torres’ defense team in the hope of reaching a settlement agreement.
In response, Torres’ attorney, Jack Torres—who is also the former governor’s brother—said they will seek a “no-file” position as part of any settlement deal. A no-file position refers to a prosecutor’s decision not to file formal criminal charges after an arrest or investigation.
Barcinas set a status conference in March 2026.
According to online records, the OAG filed charges against Torres in April 2022, including 12 counts of misconduct in public office, one count of theft of government funds stemming from government-paid premium-class travel by Torres and his wife—then first lady Diane Torres—and one count of contempt of the Legislature.
The contempt charge stemmed from Torres’ alleged failure to comply with a legislative subpoena. The count was dismissed without prejudice, later refiled, and remains under litigation.
Over the course of the case, Torres’ defense sought to disqualify then-special prosecutor James R. Kingman and chief solicitor J. Robert Glass Jr., arguing that Glass had been exposed to privileged information related to the contempt charge.
Kingman was also deemed tainted due to his professional relationship with Glass and because his contract required him to report to Attorney General Edward Manibusan, who likewise had access to the privileged information.
The defense argued that these circumstances created, at a minimum, an appearance of impropriety.
In July 2024, the Superior Court agreed, disqualifying Kingman, Glass, and the entire OAG from the prosecution.
The OAG appealed, and in August 2025, the CNMI Supreme Court affirmed the disqualification of Kingman and Glass but reversed the blanket disqualification of the OAG, ruling that the agency could continue if it properly screened off conflicted attorneys—leading to the appointment of Karch as special prosecutor in the cases against Torres.
Report by Mark Rabago
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