By By Joe Taitano II Pacific Daily News

Copyright guampdn

Unsealed warrants show federal agents in late 2024 seized multiple documents, computers, bank records and cell phones in raids on the home and business of Charissa Tenorio, one of seven people indicted in an alleged $1.9 million Pandemic Unemployment Assistance fraud ring.

Recently unsealed records in the District Court of Guam reveal more details about the alleged “PUA 7″ fraud ring and the federal investigation into the case.

The warrant application states that the Guam Department of Labor director notified the Office of the Governor as early as 2021 of an FBI investigation of Charissa Tenorio, the sister of Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio.

But Adelup spokesperson Krystal Paco-San Agustin stated Wednesday that “the DOL Director has never discussed any aspect of any federal investigation with the governor, the lieutenant governor, or the chief of staff.”

Guam Labor Director Dave Dell’Isola said “No” on Wednesday, when asked whether he had ever informed the governor’s office about the investigation.

Josh Tenorio, who is running for governor in 2026, is not charged with any crime. He has asserted that neither he nor Adelup is involved in the PUA case or investigation.

Dell’Isola has run DOL since 2019.

He said in July that his agency has fully cooperated with all requests for information in the investigation.

Raid, investigation

Charissa Tenorio’s Sinajana home was raided just before sundown on Aug. 12, 2024, along with her business Comfort Cuts and Grounds Maintenance LLC, according to unsealed warrants.

Just a week prior to the raid, she allegedly contacted 24 alleged victims and co-conspirators in the fraud case, to get information on the investigation and tell them what to tell the FBI, according to a warrant application filed by an FBI special agent.

Charissa Tenorio is the sole defendant facing a money laundering charge in the “PUA 7” fraud case. She is also charged on two counts of witness tampering.

Indictments allege she used Comfort Cuts, a business she ran with co-defendant and romantic partner Frankie Rosalin, to facilitate the fraud scheme and receive funds from the scheme.

Court records show the FBI asked for the 2024 warrant to remain under seal, to prevent other targets of the fraud investigation from fleeing or destroying evidence in the case.

U.S. Attorney Shawn Anderson, as late as June 13, asked for a 90-day extension on the warrants “because the investigation into this matter remains ongoing.”

Premature disclosure could jeopardize the investigation and cause others to flee from prosecution, Anderson stated. The two warrants were only unsealed this month.

Charissa Tenorio, Rosalin, and five others were indicted on June 26. But charging documents also referred to other unnamed, uncharged co-conspirators.

There was also a third warrant referred to in the indictment, which remains under seal as of Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors allege the co-defendants received $492,063 worth of fraudulent PUA claims made on behalf of numerous individuals between July 2020 and September 2021.

Here are the other defendants:

Matthew Topasna, owner of Haute Dog & Company and the lieutenant governor’s partnerTina Sanchez, Rosalin’s motherKathleen Peredo, former Guam DOL employeeWinnie Jo Santos, Comfort Cuts employeeMarlene Pinaula, former Guam DOL employee

Guam Department of Labor

Warrant applications filed by an FBI special agent detail the relationship between defendants and how they allegedly ran a PUA fraud schemed out of Guam DOL.

The special agent notes that “(Charissa) Tenorio has strong associations with the administrative leaders of the Government of Guam and has used political influence to conduct activity which common members of the community are not able to achieve.”

According to the agent, Charissa Tenorio and Guam DOL employees Peredo and Pinaula were close associates, along with a third Guam DOL employee who has yet to be charged.

Guam DOL ran the PUA program during the pandemic, and Charissa Tenorio allegedly contacted the three employees for help processing fraudulent applications for the unemployment program.

Pinaula and Peredo handled most of the PUA applications from Comfort Cuts employees, according to the warrant application.

When Pinaula left her job at Guam DOL, she was allegedly told by her supervisor to “be expecting a call from the FBI,” it states.

As of July, both Pinaula and Peredo remained employed at other GovGuam agencies, the Pacific Daily News reported.

Checks held, cashed

Multiple interviews with PUA recipients employed by Comfort Cuts revealed that Charissa Tenorio had asked employees to fill out PUA applications, then kept the applications, according to the FBI agent.

Comfort Cuts employees were not laid off or unemployed, continued to work between March 2020 and September 2021, but were allegedly receiving unemployment checks in lieu of payment from the company, according to the warrant application.

Several employees complained of working more hours but getting less pay, when PUA checks were used to pay them.

Others reported that they stopped receiving PUC checks at some point, and denied signing off on several unemployment checks in their name on record with Guam DOL and the Department of Administration.

Employees were told to give portions of their checks, which ranged from $2,000 to $15,000, to Charissa Tenorio or leave them at her desk at the Comfort Cuts office, the FBI agent states.

Peredo allegedly “made multiple weekly requests to have PUA checks held from being mailed to the PUA recipient,” and instead delivered to her, the agent states.

Some of the checks held were meant for Comfort Cuts employees who said they were not getting payment. Those checks were endorsed and cashed.

“On one occasion, a $14,000.00 PUA deposit was made to (Charissa) Tenorio’s checking bank account,” the warrant application states. “(Charissa) Tenorio took the employee to the bank and withdrew the money and kept approximately half.”

According to the warrant application, several employees did not recognize information contained on their PUA applications.

Some employees told the FBI that Comfort Cuts kept records, including all of the personal information required to complete those applications like passports or government identification cards.

PUA applications reportedly included photographs of the government ID of applicants.

Feds: Adelup was informed

According to the FBI special agent, it was “common practice” for GovGuam directors to report to the administration, to include the governor and lieutenant governor, when the FBI asks for documents to support an investigation.

“I know that (Charissa) Tenorio is an immediate relative of a high-ranking official within the current administration. I also know the director of GDOL notified the Governor’s office of the FBI investigation…the notification was made in 2021, 2022 and as recent as the week of August 5, 2024,” the agent states.

The warrant application states that Charissa Tenorio was aware of the federal investigation “for many years.”

On Wednesday, the PDN asked Dell’Isola about the dates specified in the warrant.

“I have no idea where those dates are, I have no idea on any of that,” Dell’isola said.

He told the PDN he could not comment about the specifics of the ongoing case.

Lt. Gov. Tenorio in July said he was aware of the investigation brought against members of his family after they were approached by law enforcement.

“I did know when authorities approached family members, and I told them that they should get counsel,” he said at the time. “I did not discuss anything. And also, I would say that it would be inappropriate to discuss the investigation with anybody.”