Former Homeland Security Investigations trainee Kane Alexzander Pangelinan Ybanez pleaded not guilty Thursday to three federal felony charges accusing him of lying on a vehicle loan application and twice impersonating a federal agent after his termination from HSI.
A federal grand jury indicted Ybanez on Aug. 19, alleging he falsely claimed to be an ICE criminal investigator earning $5,634 a month when applying for a vehicle loan at First Hawaiian Bank on Dec. 24, 2025. Prosecutors say the bank’s FDIC‑insured status makes false statements on its loan forms a federal offense.
The indictment also charges Ybanez with two counts of impersonating a federal officer. Prosecutors say he told CNMI police he was a “federal agent” or “HSI agent” during a Dec. 27 encounter and again on Jan. 10, 2026, allegedly to influence a DPS officer attempting to arrest him.
Ybanez had been appointed an HSI criminal investigator trainee on Sept. 8, 2025, but was terminated three months later while attending the Criminal Investigator Training Program in Glynco, Georgia. He returned to Saipan the day before his scheduled graduation.
At his Sept. 3 arraignment before District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, Ybanez appeared out of custody, waived a formal reading of the charges, and entered a not‑guilty plea.
Prosecutors also noted that obtaining a firearm while under felony indictment is itself a separate crime.
Manglona set jury selection and trial for Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. Ybanez remains released on personal recognizance under court‑ordered conditions.
