By Joyce McClure
Yap State Legislature’s Floor Leader Jerry J. Fagolimul is under investigation for allegedly sending lewd videos of himself to young girls.
"The FSM Department of Justice has started looking into the case,” a Yap state official who requested anonymity informed the Pacific Island Times. “They are looking for statements to corroborate, especially the issue of minors. Representatives from the FSM DOJ were in Yap this week and this was one of the issues they were looking into while on island."
A recent 18-second phone video that begins with Fagolimul standing nude in a shower looking directly into the camera, drew public attention when it was posted and shared on Facebook Messenger.
The Pacific Island Times has received copies of Messenger texts allegedly sent to Fagolimul by an irate boyfriend of one of the college-age victims asking, “What kind of senator you are?”
Fagolimul replied, “Sorry she asked for it.”
When told that he would call the AG’s office to report Fagolimul’s action, Fagolimul replied, “Please my mistake. She tricked me. Please delete. Please my sincere apologies. I was not thinking right.”
At least two of the victims are alleged to be residents of Guam.
The Pacific Island Times tried to get comments from Fagolimul, but he did not return our phone call.
Fagolimul is from the island of Ifalik, one of Yap’s Outer Islands. Now in his third term as a state legislator, he graduated from Xavier High School in Chuuk prior to earning a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts degree in science and mathematics from Hawaii Pacific University.
He later earned a Master of Education degree in curriculum studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education on a National Science Foundation PREL grant.
Representing District 4 that encompasses the Outer Islands of Fechailap, Earupik and Ifalik, Fagolimul’s 25-year career with the State of Yap began with 11 years at the Division of Marine Resources Management followed by three years at the Environmental Protection Agency.
In addition, he served as a part-time instructor for 10 years at the COM-FSM Yap Campus, becoming a full-time staff member of the Upward Bound College Prep program at Woleai High School and later joined Yap High School’s Upward Bound program.
During the 2018 election, Fagolimul said his bid for reelection centered on "the future generation so my focus should be on the youth and their education and development of human resources.”
According to the Yap State Constitution, “the legislature shall be the judge of the qualifications of its members and shall have, for misconduct, disorderly behavior or neglect of duty of any member, power to punish such member by censure or, upon a two-thirds vote of the members, by suspension or expulsion of such member.”
As of Friday, Jan. 21, Fagolimul was still attending meetings of Yap’s leadership in the legislature’s chamber.
The Pacific Island Times reached out to the AG’s office, the Yap State Legislature and the Gender Support office for comments but was unsuccessful in getting a response.
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