That ’ s a lot of homework you gave me ,” Douglas Moylan said in jest after receiving the list of questions we sent him via email . He promptly buckled down to work after the Guam Election Commission certified the results of the 2022 election the day after Thanksgiving . After all , he has been working on his homework since he hit the campaign trail .
He listed his priorities , along with his strategies — old and new — vowing to make it better this time .
“ Criminal prosecution ( violent , non-violent and government corruption ) shall remain the focus of my four-year term as attorney general ,” said Moylan , who carried the “ Tough on Crime ” campaign slogan .
“ In the criminal prosecution area , tough and decisively harsh convictions and punishments will start creating the atmosphere I want to keep us safe , and to send that message of deterrence this island presently lacks . Do the crime , get sentenced to harsh jail time ,” he said .
Moylan defeated the incumbent attorney general , Leevin Camacho , by a razon-thin margin of 39 votes in a tight race for the Office of the Attorney General . He lost to Camacho in the 2018 race .
Moylan is , of course , not a stranger to this job . He was the first elected attorney general after the office was converted from an appointive to an elective position . The idea was to make the OAG politically independent to keep the attorney general from being beholden to the appointing official . One of the early conflicts he had to navigate was the attorney general ’ s job as the chief prosecutor and at the same time as the legal counsel for government agencies . Among the most complicated cases he handled was the lawsuit he filed against the Guam International Airport Authority , challenging the airport administration ’ s $ 1 million legal service contract with a private law firm .
Moylan served from 2003 to 2007 . His subsequent attempts to return to office were unsuccessful until this year .
“ A result-oriented approach will be
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Brief Chat
reinstated in my second term , but more refined . With my 30 years as an attorney , this AG has learned many tricks and methods that will get the client exactly what they want , efficiently and effectively ,” said the 56-year-old lawyer .
His strategy , as he repeatedly mentioned during the campaign , does not revolve around a “ rehabilitative ” approach . “ My job is law enforcement , not holding the criminals ' hands or leading them in serenity walks . That ’ s arguably another government department ’ s job ,” said Moylan , a Father Duenas Memorial School alumnus .
Moylan graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1988 with a bachelor degree in business administration and sociology . He studied law at the Santa Clara University School of Law .
His first stint at the OAG was anything but uneventful . In a small community where compromises are typically negotiated behind closed doors , some frowned on his gung-ho style , which even cost his bid for reelection after the end of his term . He glutted the courts with lawsuits ; some were successful , and others failed .
As he prepares to officially assume office , Moylan reflected on what he said he could have done differently . “ I have never said I was perfect . My regrets include not being able to better communicate with the sitting governor to work and find a solution ,” he said . “ I should spend the time to see if a compromise is better .”
But as the chief prosecutor , Moylan recognized the challenge of fulfilling
Douglas Moylan ,
attorney general-elect
‘ Do the crime , get sentenced to harsh jail time ’
As the chief prosecutor , Moylan recognizes the challenge of fulfilling his promises to the voters against the backdrop of a vindictive political environment .
his commitment to the voters against the backdrop of a vindictive political environment . While willing to negotiate a compromise , Moylan vows “ not do so to the extent that I betray the people ’ s trust or compromise away my promises to them .”
The balancing act , he said , “ will be easier to achieve ” this time after 16 years since he left office and with 30 years of experience as an attorney . “ The main lesson I have learned is to make sure we understand exactly the need of the client ( a . k . a . people , voters ), and to determine the best and most efficient and effective way to meet that need ,” Moylan said .
One of his most successful cases involved the government ’ s attempt to borrow over $ 350 million , which Moylan argued was a violation of the debt limitation set by the Organic Act . The case was inherited by his successor , Alicia Limtiaco . The U . S . Supreme Court ruled in Moylan ' s favor in 2007 , one year after his term expired in December 2006 .
During his first term , Moylan secured approximately 35 government corruption prosecutions , including the unsuccessful cases against former Gov . Carl Gutierrez . In hindsight , Moylan said he could have done things differently . “ I would not have greenlighted the prosecution of former Gov . Carl Gutierrez given the quality of the evidence , his political popularity among potential and actual jurors , and the actual jury acquittal ,” he said . “ Unfortunately , as the
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
people ’ s prosecutor , we do not have the luxury of a glass ball to guarantee the outcome of a criminal prosecution , and must rely upon the years of experience and senses of the AG .”
Another priority under Moylan ' s new term is the creation of the Government Corruption Division , which will follow up on reports by the Office of Public Accountability besides the leads taken by the OAG . On top of the agenda are the questionable transactions undertaken by the administration during the period of a public health emergency , which allowed the government to skip certain rules on procurement .
“ The entire issue about what pandemic laws applied , as well as which fact-specific investigations will be opened by the AG ’ s GCD , will be researched by the GCD prosecutors , and then the evaluation process about which cases will be on the GCD ’ s ‘ scope ’ and their priorities will be considered once we take office on Jan . 23 , 2023 ,” Moylan said .
“ At the conclusion of any investigation , whether accepted by the GCD or not , or acted upon by the GCD , a report will issue that explains to the public and the media the AG office ’ s action . Obviously , the filing of a civil or criminal matter will in itself explain the action by the AG ’ s GCD ,” he said .
As he prepares for more homework ahead , Moylan warns criminals what they should expect under his brand-new term : “ Jail time and seeing what the inside of a prison looks like ."