Former Department of Corrections officer Frankie Rosalin, who had pleaded guilty to official misconduct as a misdemeanor, has been working under the Maintenance Division at the Port Authority of Guam.

During an interview with KUAM's interactive talkshow The Link last Friday, Port general manager Rory Respicio confirmed Rosalin's employment as a Program Coordinator II.

"It was merit-based. That's another situation where I struggled with - do you hold someone's past against them, to the point where you are going to keep on holding them down?" Respicio admitted. "He submitted an application, he qualified for the job, he interviewed, and then the selection was made."

Rosalin was part of the 2017 DOC contraband scandal. He and several others were arrested that year and charged in a scheme to smuggle drugs into the Mangilao Compound. His probation ends this August.

The Guam Office of the Attorney General cited GovGuam policy on whether a convicted person may have public sector employment, saying, "Criminal convictions are an automatic bar to government employment only in limited cases", such as felonies, sex offenses, or family violence.

However, Department of Administration policy states that prior criminal convictions - including misdemeanors - can be considered by directors when making hiring decisions.