Timothy P. Villagomez | |
---|---|
7th Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | |
In office January 9, 2006 – April 24, 2009 |
|
Governor | Benigno R. Fitial |
Preceded by | Diego Benavente |
Succeeded by | Eloy S. Inos |
Personal details | |
Born |
Timothy Pangelinan Villagomez June 10, 1962 Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands |
Political party | Covenant Party |
Timothy Pangelinan Villagomez (born September 10, 1962, Saipan) was the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands who served under Governor Benigno R. Fitial, until his resignation on April 26, 2009. Villagomez took office as Lieutenant Governor on January 9, 2006, after being elected as a ticket during the 2005 gubernatorial election. Villagomez, like Fitial, is a former member of the Republican Party, but is currently a member of the Covenant Party.
Villagomez is a relative of former Mariana Islands Governor Pedro Tenorio and his wife, First Lady Sophia.
In August 2008, Villagomez was indicted on felony charges relating to the misuse of government funds. On April 24, 2009, he was found guilty along with former Commerce Secretary James A. Santos and his wife Joaquina V. Santos (Villagomez's sister) relating to a scheme to defraud the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. through needless purchases of a de-scaling chemical called Rydlyme. Awaiting sentencing on July 28, 2009, Villagomez tendered his resignation on April 24.
Villagomez's sentencing was delayed until August 5, 2009, at which time he was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison. He was sent to the Federal Correctional Institution at Phoenix, Arizona. His brother-in-law, Santos, and his wife were sentenced to 78 months. The case was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Villagomez was later transferred to the U.S. Penitentiary at Tucson, Arizona with a projected release date of June 25, 2017.