Ralph Torres


Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres is an American Republican politician from Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. He has served as the ninth Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since the death of Governor Eloy Inos on December 29, 2015. He previously served as the tenth Lieutenant Governor, having been elected to that post in 2014.

Background and personal life

Torres graduated from Boise High School in 1996. He received a BS in Political Science from Boise State University in 2001. In 2004, he began to work with his brother at Torres Brothers, Attorneys at Law.
Torres has six children with his wife, the former Diann Mendiola Tudela: Ralph Anthony, Vaniqa Marie, Deon Titus, Tristan Dane, Divannie and Ryan. Torres is of Chamorro ancestry.

Political career

Commonwealth Legislature

In 2008, Torres won the election to the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. In 2010, he won the election to the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, acting in a variety of roles. From 2010 to 2015 he was Chairman of the Health & Welfare Committee. In February 2013, he became the President of the Senate.

Lieutenant Governorship

As half of the winning ticket in the 2014 gubernatorial election, Torres became Lieutenant Governor on January 12, 2015.

Governorship

Upon the death of incumbent Governor Eloy Inos, Torres became the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands on December 29, 2015. In accordance with the constitution, the Senate president, Victor Hocog, became Lieutenant Governor.
Torres approved a bill, public law 19-42, that adds a $1,000 excise tax on pistol purchases, this is the highest tax on pistols sales in the US. However this excessive tax was later ruled as unconstitutional according to the United States Constitution and over turned by the United States District Court.
In February 2018, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Torres and his family have received millions of dollars in payments from Hong Kong-based Imperial Pacific casino.
On November 7, 2019, the FBI executed a search and seizure warrant to raid Torres' office, home, and car as well as his brothers' law firm and various other businesses across Saipan for evidence of wire fraud, schemes to defraud, conspiracy, money laundering, and illegal campaign contributions.
In November 2019 the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives called for the impeachment of Torres amid an ongoing investigation by the FBI into his businesses.
Torres faced further impeachment backlash with growing evidence of the misuse of local funds that violated CNMI procurement laws