San Nicolas Staffers Implicated for Hiring Hitman

Silencing the Whistleblower

Two Congressional staffers under Delegate Michael San Nicolas have been heavily implicated for planning a “hit” on former Campaign Manager John Paul Manuel – the whistleblower and key figure in the Ethics Investigation against Michael San Nicolas.

A former employee under San Nicolas came forward and revealed details about the meeting where the two Staffers attempted to contract him as a hitman to take out Manuel.

The Meeting

Joseph Flores, a former Outreach Coordinator for Congressman Michael San Nicolas, alleges that Benjie Perez and Thomas Calvo tried to hire him as a hitman to silence John Paul Manuel – the whistleblower that prompted the Congressman’s infamous Ethics Investigation.

“We wanna hire you to do a hit on John Manuel.”

Flores shared with Newstalk K57’s Patti Arroyo that the meeting took place in February 2019. 

According to Legistorm.com, both Calvo and Perez were Executive Assistants in San Nicolas’s Office during that time. Flores said that he reported directly to Perez.

Flores said that Perez had called him one morning asking to him meet at King’s Restaurant. There, Perez and Calvo offered him the job to “take out” the former Campaign Manager “mafia style” as Flores described.

What follows is some of Flores’s account of the meeting:

Calvo: “Well, Joe. I’m ready to pay you full cash. I’m ready to pay you cash.”

Perez: “Joe, prim, we’re willing to pay you cash. I want you to take him out because it’s going to ruin Michael San Nicolas.”

Flores: “Okay. What do you want me to do? You want me to hurt him? You want me to shoot him?”

Perez: “Well Joe, prim, whatever it takes for you to do. If you want to do either one, I’m willing to pay you… cash. Cash under the table.”

Flores said that the Staffers were concerned that Manuel’s allegations would ruin careers. Careers such as Calvo’s career, Perez’s career, and even the Congressman’s career.

Flores added that Calvo, in particular, ran the risk of his criminal history resurfacing if Manuel wasn’t dealt with.

“If benjie says, ‘prim, let’s do it, let’s do it,’ that’s a green light.”

A Failed Hit

Flores confessed that he was willing to carry out the hit for a certain amount of cash to silence Manuel.

“It’s going to be a high price, you have to let me know what’s going on,” Flores told the pair. “Me doing this, it’s going to really take a toll.”

The hit on Manuel did not follow through. Initially, Flores said that the Staffers didn’t offer him an exact amount, only a reassurance that they had the cash to pay Flores. 

This past May, years after the meeting, Flores said he filed a police report to Guam police regarding the solicitation (attached below is the police report Flores alleged to have filed.)

Flores admitted that he filed the complaint to GPD hoping that they would forward it to the FBI as it involved federal employees. Instead, he said it was forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office; however, an investigation was not conducted because the statute of limitations expired.

Flores went on to say that he would be willing to take his case to the FBI. And teased that if the FBI were to conduct a “lie detector test” on him, Perez, and Calvo, consequently “the truth would prevail.”

Heavy Implication

Flores’s most heavy hitting allegation was that Congressman San Nicolas was fully aware of the ploy to “take out” Manuel. He said that San Nicolas was aware of what Calvo and Perez instructed him to do.

Despite such a heavy implication, Flores admitted that San Nicolas never spoke to him directly regarding the alleged meeting or hit.

“When a federal employee is asking me to do an assassination, mafia style,” Flores said, “I mean this is bad.”

PNC reached out to the Attorney General’s Office to confirm receipt of Flores’s complaint from GPD. The AG responded that the case, “didn’t ring any bells.”

Additionally contacted both Thomas Calvo and Benjie Perez via email for their statement on Flores’s allegations. However, they have yet to provide a statement.

Lastly, we attempted to call the Congressman’s office multiple times to no avail.

Reach reporter Devin Eligio: devin@spbguam.com

*Let it be emphasized and known that Mr. Joseph Flores's statements DO NOT reflect what the Pacific News Center or it's reporters believe to be true. All statements and quotations were made by Mr. Flores during a Newstalk K57 Interview -- and all information herein were in reference to Mr. Flores's statements in the interview and should not be used to consider what is truth or bias.*