Edjay Jaime Sablan Sentenced to 97 Months Imprisonment

Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Edjay Jaime Sablan, age 24, from Saipan, was sentenced in the United States District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands to 97 months imprisonment for Possession of Child Pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B).  The Court also ordered five years of supervised release following imprisonment, 40 hours of community service, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.  Sablan will also be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from prison.

On January 6, 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Sablan’s apartment on Saipan.  At the time, Sablan was a police officer with the CNMI Department of Public Safety.  Based on an undercover investigation, agents believed that the apartment contained evidence of child sex abuse material.  Sablan arrived at his apartment during the search.  Upon learning the subject of the investigation, he gave a recorded statement admitting that he frequently viewed this material, including videos of infants and toddlers, and that such files would be found on his laptop computer.  Subsequent forensic analysis of the computer revealed images and videos depicting extreme acts of sadomasochism on children.

U.S. Attorney Anderson stated, “Our public servants are held to high standards of conduct.  This is particularly true for members of law enforcement.  The possession of child sexual abuse material is an unconscionable crime.  Unfortunately, once the images reach the internet, a victim endures a lifetime of continued exploitation.  The Department of Justice will pursue justice for these victims at every opportunity.  We applaud the work of our federal task force partners in keeping our communities safe.”

“Sexual predators who prey on the most vulnerable members of our society will be identified, investigated and find themselves in prison. The fact that Sablan was an active-duty police officer - sworn to protect the public - makes this case particularly appalling," said FBI Honolulu Steven Merrill. "This verdict case demonstrates the importance of the FBI’s commitment to work closely with our partners on the Marianas Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (MCEHTTF) to investigate cases such as this with a sense of urgency and to the fullest extent allowable by law."

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in partnership with the Marianas Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Eric S. O’Malley, Assistant United States Attorney in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.