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AllAfrica
2 days ago
- Politics
- AllAfrica
Northern Mariana Islands lose their last best hope
I was in awe of Arnold Palacios, who passed away on July 23. Having spent a good part of my career dealing with public and private corruption, I never once saw a top official ask to be investigated and mean it. That takes courage and, ultimately, a deep love for one's constituents and country. Imagine, for example, the mayor of Chicago asking the feds to come and examine the city's books. That request will never happen. But it did happen in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Corruption is, of course, not rare in CNMI, and no sane person pretends otherwise. Governor Palacios' own words tell his story. In a presentation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington in 2024, he described how, when he came into office, he tried to find out what happened to around $1.6 billion in federal funding (CARES, ARPA, etc) that had been given to the CNMI, (population around 45,000) during the pandemic era. As he said: 'the last thing we want to do, or want to see, is for the CNMI community to suffer over a long period of time because of some of the careless squandering, or even criminal squandering, of resources that were given to us by the federal government. We saw it, I saw it, a lot of people in the community saw it happening. And so, we wanted that to be validated by a robust financial investigation. We needed to come clean. I wasn't about to cover up all these things.' The governor repeatedly asked federal agencies to help. On April 24, 2025, he asked CNMI Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds to ask FBI Director Kash Patel to do 'intensive investigations of public corruption' in CNMI, mentioning he has 'considerable evidence to provide.' In the FDD interview, he said the situation left him feeling like 'John the Baptist out in the desert. That's how lonely it has been.' That's also astonishing bravery. Indeed, Arnold Palacios' briefing and comments at FDD should be required viewing for all elected members of Congress and state legislatures in the United States. A word about Director Patel's shutting down investigations into former CNMI Governor Ralph Torres, the Imperial Pacific casino and related matters in July 2025 was perplexing and stupid. This decision needs to be reexamined. There's more to all this than just 'local' corruption. Governor Palacios recognized the threat posed by China to CNMI and the United States. How right was he? The US Congress' China Select Committee, which has access to 'all the intelligence,' issued a rare statement of condolence on learning of Governor Palacios' death, saying in part, 'He was a devoted public servant and a true patriot who courageously stood against Chinese coercion, steadfastly defending the sovereignty of the CNMI and the American homeland. His principled leadership and unwavering dedication to his people will leave a lasting legacy and will not be forgotten.' Chinese investment always appears as a panacea solving one's economic woes, but it invariably leads to corruption, crime and a local constituency that is beholden to China's interests. You would think CNMI's long experience with Chinese casinos—most recently Imperial Pacific on Saipan, which came after the earlier garment industry debacle—might have opened some eyes. Still, there's a push for more and more and unvetted, or poorly vetted, Chinese investment in the CNMI, as if there are no dangers and no alternatives, but there are. This is all part of China's political warfare intended to subvert societies and to insert Chinese influence. Get in the way and expect to be fiercely attacked, as Gov. Palacios was, and as former Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo and former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani can attest. Chinese proxies are rife in the CNMI, throughout the Pacific and in Washington DC itself. They've been in place for years and their tentacles are everywhere. Now, the one man who had the character, inside experience and clout to stop them in CNMI is gone. There will be plenty of crocodile tears about Palacios' passing in certain quarters but, if there's one thing Chinese proxies hate, it's transparency and clarity. Palacios scared them. They are no doubt glad he is gone. Expect the clamoring for 'China investment' to ramp up soon. If China's proxies are close enough to the levers, they may even ground down the CNMI economy to justify more Chinese access as 'the only way out.' That would be Beijing's standard operating procedure. Hopefully, Governor Arnold Palacios was not the CNMI's last best hope. And instead, we are his last best hope. Let's see if Governor Palacios' successors take up his calls for serious US government-led investigations into the corruption that has squandered CNMI citizens' prosperity for too long while lining a select few pockets in CNMI and elsewhere. If they instead declare, 'let sleeping dogs lie,' or 'let's just move along,' or 'it's the culture,' then you'll know they were, and are, in on it as well. That shows contempt for the CNMI and its citizens, for whom Arnold Palacios put his life on the line. Governor Palacios, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Colonel Grant Newsham is the author of 'When China Attacks: A Warning to America.' A retired US Marine, he served in the Indo-Pacific for decades and was instrumental in establishing Japan's amphibious force. As a US foreign service officer, he covered a number of regions, including East and South Asia, and specialized in insurgency, counterinsurgency and commercial matters. This article first appeared on Pacific Island Times and is republished with permission. Read the original here.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Prison or payback? Judge weighs smartest sentence for Paycheck Protection Program fraud
A judge put a 34-year-old West Palm Beach man on 10 years of probation after he pleaded guilty to money laundering in a scheme through which he and co-conspirators obtained fraudulent federal Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling nearly $350,000. Johnley Jorcilien entered the plea during a hearing on July 14 before Circuit Judge Howard Coates. The judge ordered that Jorcilien pay civil restitution, and that he be placed on house arrest for the first year of his probation. State prosecutors dismissed a charge of organizing scheme to defraud a person or business of $50,000 or more. Jorcilien faced up to four years in prison. However, Assistant State Attorney Daniel Litman Gross told the court the state's top concern was ensuring that Jorcilien pays restitution. Coates credited Jorcilien with one day of time served in the Palm Beach County Jail and warned him that he risks going to prison if he fails to comply with the restitution order. Boynton Beach: Alleged gang shooting at anti-violence rally leads to arrest of man, 19 Congress passed the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act in March 2020. The stimulus bill was intended to help businesses cope with the economic problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the bill created the Paycheck Protection Program, a Small Business Administration-backed effort providing money to businesses with fewer than 300 employees for up to eight weeks of payroll, including benefits. The program attracted thousands of fraudulent applications before it ended in May 2021. By the end of 2022, the SBA inspector general estimated that more than 70,000 loans were potentially fraudulent or went to companies that didn't need the funding to survive the COVID-19 shutdowns. Few fraudulent loans have been repaid. Jorcilien's arrest happened through a joint effort between the State Attorney's Office and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, which formed a task force in 2023 targeting people suspected of filing fraudulent federal claims. Investigators said Jorcilien fabricated information regarding his number of employees in order to obtain more than $347,000 in loans for an inactive used-car business. Jorcilien reportedly deposited the fraudulently obtained funds into various bank accounts and began writing checks worth thousands of dollars in kickbacks to his suspected co-conspirators. He also used the ill-gotten funds to purchase a luxury vehicle, investigators said. Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Probation deal for Paycheck Protection fraud means man must repay US
Economist
01-07-2025
- Business
- Economist
Can Trump end America's $1.8trn student-debt nightmare?
In recent years, America's student-loan policy has come to resemble an alphabet soup. During the covid-19 pandemic, relief came from the CARES, ARPA and HEROES acts. Repayment plans ranged from the appropriately named (SAVE and PAYE) to the less so (PSLF and TEPSLF). Even seasoned bureaucrats at the FSA will have struggled to keep track. Owing to these various policies, some $189bn in student debt was forgiven, and more than $260bn of payments waived.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
School students to get platform to test their coding
Panaji: As part of the Coding and Robotics Education in Schools (CARES) Scheme, during the academic year 2025-26, students will get access to a user-friendly coding platform, GOVIN IDE, developed in-house. On the platform, children will be able to write, test, and deploy code for their projects. This integration gives students early access to industry-relevant tools in a school setting, providing them with a deeper understanding of robotics and embedded systems, said Vijay Borges, the project director of the special cell created at the directorate of technical education for the implementation of CM-CARES. He said students will also get to use a robotics hardware kit designed in-house. These initiatives are for students who have opted to learn the advanced curriculum of coding and robotics as an elective subject after school hours. This year, the elective curriculum is being implemented across 206 lead schools and for over 17,000 students, with a focused rollout for students of classes VI, VII, and VIII. Lead schools are where the elective subject classes are held for students who have opted to learn the advanced curriculum, beyond the coding and robotics curriculum taught as a school subject. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch xu hướng AUD/USD? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo 'Aligned with the National Education Policy, 2020, the curriculum places strong emphasis on hands-on learning, critical thinking, and applied technology,' Borges said. 'The elective modules introduced in the CARES curriculum for 2025-2026 will also include practical exposure and socially conscious learning via community innovation projects.' With project-based assessments, the elective curriculum also aims to build life skills like teamwork, communication, and creativity, he said. In Goa, robotics and coding were made a part of the Class VI to VIII curriculum for 65,000 students studying in 435 govt and aided schools. From the academic year 2022-23, the state took the scheme a step further and offered an advanced curriculum to be taught after school hours to students with further interest and talent in robotics and coding.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bluefield woman pleads guilty to COVID-19 fraud scheme
BLUEFIELD, WV (WVNS) — A Bluefield woman pleaded guilty to a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. According to a press release, 43-year-old April Elick, of Bluefield, pleaded guilty to the theft of government money on June 2, 2025. She obtained $84,000 in COVID-19 loans through the Small Business Association (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and used the funds for personal use. Elick is set to be sentenced on September 8, 2025, and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years probation, and a $250,000 fine. She owes $97,802.59 in restitution, as well. Court documents and statements made in court stated that Elick received two Paycheck Protection Program loans (PPP) amounting to $14,520 in April 2021, after stating that the money was for her home healthcare business to cover payrolls and other expenses. She received an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) amounting to $61,000 through the CARES Act in January 2022, and also increased the COVID-19 business loan by $8,700 in April 2022, the release stated. As part of her plea, Elick confessed that she knew she could use the proceeds only for things outlined in CARES Act programs, the release noted. Elick also stated that she used funds for personal expenses, such as withdrawing $30,560, an estimated $16,350 in digital wallet transfers, and $8,290.11 in purchases made in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia. The CARES Act allowed for forgivable PPP loans to be used for eligible for impacted businesses and sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals, the release stated. It also approved the SBA to provide EIDL loans of up to $2 million for eligible small businesses that were experiencing substantial financial struggles. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston released the announcement and applauded the work of the WorkForce West Virginia Integrity Section, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the West Virginia State Police — Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
