The trial for seven individuals accused of defrauding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program is moving forward, with a start date still set for September.

During a status hearing in the District Court of Guam, defense attorneys representing the seven defendants appeared before Magistrate Judge Michael Bordallo, while their clients’ appearances were waived.

The group, including Frankie Rosalin, Charissa Tenorio, Matthew Topasna, Winnie Jo Santos, Tina Sanchez, Kathleen Peredo, and Marlene Pinaula, are accused of conspiring to defraud the PUA program of nearly $1.9 million between 2020 and 2021.

Attorneys again raised concerns about the sheer volume of evidence, reportedly totaling around one million pages, plus additional data stored on multiple hard drives.

One defense team has even brought in a discovery organizer to help process the material, with a report still pending.

Despite these concerns, Judge Bordallo kept the September trial date in place, setting new deadlines and scheduling another status hearing as preparations continue.