Attorney David Lujan blasts government during arraignment in drug possession case

Although arraignments in the Superior Court of Guam are generally quick affairs, prominent local attorney David Lujan was up in arms during the arraignment of his client Leialoha Darling Camacho Crisostomo on Wednesday.

Normally, Magistrate Judge Jonathan R. Quan declares the case number and title, identifies the attorney representing the government, and then identifies and addresses the defense attorney to ask how the defendant pleads.

The defense attorney then goes through a list that states how the defendant will plead, if they assert or waive the right to a speedy trial, what type of trial they request, along with all the evidence the government has collected so far, as well as the transcripts of the grand jury for their case.

Quan would then repeat the defendant’s statement and requests, and then assign the case to a judge who will take over the case from there.

When Crisostomo’s case was called, Lujan asked for five minutes of the court’s time. Then he went on a tirade.

The magistrate’s complaint that led to Crisostomo’s charge of possession of a schedule II controlled substance was filed by Assistant Attorney General Renaida San Nicolas, based on her review of a report filed by a Guam airport police officer and others.

It states that airport police assisted the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in the execution of a federal search warrant at a Tamuning residence on March 21, 2024. Four individuals were located inside the residence, according to the complaint, and included Crisostomo, two adult males and a minor.

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The complaint stated that during the search, an officer found a purse and within that purse was a black case that contained a pipe and a baggie of suspected methamphetamine. A field test yielded a presumptive positive for methamphetamine, said the complaint.

The complaint said that Crisostomo allegedly claimed ownership of the purse and its contents and that she is a user of methamphetamine.

When Lujan started talking in court on Wednesday, he said when the tactical team gained entry to the residence, Crisostomo and the three others were already walking down the stairs. He said nobody mentioned that there were shots fired, and that there were two pellets still embedded in a first-floor door.

“What we have is a total lie by police officers,” said Lujan, who added that he intends to prove as much in court. “And with that, your honor, my client enters a plea of not guilty.”

Lujan then asked Quan to order that when the prosecution provides the discovery, or evidence, to the defense, that it includes the names of all the officers who were present during the warrant execution “because they’re going to be witnesses to this particular case.”

Quan said Crisostomo’s case would be assigned to Judge Alberto Tolentino.