Hagåtña, Guam – The Office of the Governor issued a Cease and Desist Letter to Attorney General Doug Moylan today, demanding that he remove the Office of the Governor’s seal from his billboards depicting a proposed homeless encampment on Adelup grounds. Use of an agency’s seal requires a permit from the agency head. This prevents people from using a seal and giving the false impression the agency supports or administers a program. Using an agency seal without authorization is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year imprisonment. The Office of the Governor has confirmed that AG Moylan was not authorized to use its seal.
“The laws of Guam apply to the AG the same way it applies to everyone else, though he has demonstrated through his words and actions that he thinks he can violate the law without consequence,” says Adelup Director of Communications Krystal Paco-San Agustin. “From ‘nepo hires’ to drugs in his conference room, non-existent procurements for questionable contracts, and now illegal billboards. Maybe we should park a dedicated crime-busting unit in matching outfits outside the AG’s office – they may never run out of work.”
The illegal billboards also depict the seals of other agencies and entities, including the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center and the Guam Department of Labor, both of which have confirmed that the AG did not have permission to use their seals. Each instance of unauthorized use for each agency’s seal in multiple billboards may constitute a separate criminal count and cumulatively be punishable by nearly a decade in prison. On February 4th, the Office of the Governor FOIA’ed the AG’s office for documentation regarding the billboards. The AG’s office requested an extension. The response is due on February 28th.
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