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Superior Court Judge Vernon Perez on Tuesday sentenced Martili Akwio Teliu to three years in prison for possessing a 5-inch makeshift shank under his pillow while in prison, then suspended the remainder after crediting him for about 430 days served at the Department of Corrections. Teliu, 25, was present in Perez’s courtroom. He was convicted in July by a 12-member jury who found him guilty of second-degree promotion of prison contraband. His sentence includes two years of probation and a $1,000 fine. Perez also ordered him to maintain full-time employment and continue treatment at the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center. “The court will acknowledge that the item that was confiscated which led to your charge had not been used, at least not to anyone’s information,” Perez told Teliu. “However, we do know anything of this nature is dangerous.” Before sentencing, prosecuting attorney Dante C.H. Harootunian urged the court to impose the 10-year maximum penalty. “The shank was likely created to harm or even kill either another inmate or a DOC employee,” he said. However, defense attorney Terrence Timblin argued that the weapon was never used and that Teliu had already spent significant time in custody. “Of course, he did have this shank, but it was never used,” Timblin said. “We’re asking for 130 days’ worth of credit already, and we think that’s enough. We think 10 years would be way too much.” Perez said the court considered Teliu’s behavior while incarcerated and the circumstances of his confinement. After suspending the remaining sentence, Perez warned that violations of probation could send Teliu back to prison. “You shall not drink, you shall not use drugs, and you shall follow any appropriate prescriptions accordingly,” Perez said. “If you need in any way to leave the island, you must have permission to do so for the term of your probation.” Perez ordered Teliu to meet immediately with probation officers upon release and said a progress hearing could be scheduled to review his compliance. “I can’t stress enough the need for you to obviously stay out of trouble and be crime-free for the remainder of the probation term,” he said. The judge then thanked the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center for its work with inmates and directed that Teliu continue recommended treatment. “I don’t expect trouble in any way from you, Mr. Teliu, but only actual compliance,” Perez said. “Now that you’ve been sentenced, you have the right to appeal.” According to court documents, Teliu was arrested in August 2024 after a disturbance in Dededo and later charged with promoting prison contraband as a second-degree felony and two misdemeanor counts of assault. The charges stemmed from two separate incidents. While detained at the local prison, on May 25, officers found a 5-inch makeshift shank under his pillow, which was confiscated and turned over to police. On Aug. 24, police responded to a Mangilao home after a woman reported that a man known to carry a machete had come to her residence, yelled incoherently, and threw the weapon at her family member. The machete struck a gate before the suspect walked away. Teliu has multiple prior convictions, including criminal mischief, graffiti, and criminal trespassing, and was arrested earlier in 2024 for burglary, criminal trespassing, and resisting arrest, according to court documents.
