Attorney General Douglas Moylan has not responded to questions from Guam News Network regarding the significance of the number "5" displayed on the latest billboard announced by the Office of the Attorney General.
The billboard depicts AG Moylan in the cockpit of a plane that bears the wording "Toughest AG on Crime" and "AG Moylan's Deport Air." On the tail of the plane, it also depicts the number 5 in a colored oval.
Moylan, an incumbent seeking re-election, drew the number 5 in the ballot placement process for the General Election's nonpartisan Attorney General race during the Guam Election Commission meeting on Aug. 18.
Whether the OAG billboard constitutes political advertising or an election-related expenditure under Guam law, however, has not been determined.
On Sept. 1, Guam News Network initially asked about the significance of the number 5 on the billboard highlighted by the OAG in a release issued on Aug. 31. The release titled, "We Just Want to Be Safe" said $4.6 million in tax savings was realized as a result of the voluntary deportation program which is an OAG initiative.
"In his second term & after 4 years as Guam’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, General Moylan and his team of Renegade Prosecutors, Investigators, Paralegals and support staff have worked with DHS ICE and engaged in a voluntary deportation program both pre-judgment and post-judgment, to cause the actual deportation of 107 criminal aliens from Guam, with 8 pending deportation," the OAG release said.
The Aug. 31 billboard is the only billboard out of 29 erected by the Office of the Attorney General during Moylan's term that depicts the number "5." According to the OAG's 2026 Budget Request Brochure, the billboards are used to communicate with the People of Guam, each one intended to shed light on crimes and legal issues.
During the June 17, 2025, Fiscal Year 2026 budget hearing before the Guam Legislature, Moylan in response to Sen. Telo Taitague's question over funding set aside for outreach, confirmed that the billboards are a communication medium.
"The communication function, as you can see with the billboards, it's just not the billboard. It's the message that we're trying to get to our client that we represent. We have built it in. I've got a very creative team here, ... and our accounting people that are able to see what we're budgeted to be within that budget and then to spend the money as effectively as we can. But the communication function is critical," Moylan said on June 17, 2025.
The June 2025 hearing however did not disclose the specific funding source in the OAG budget for the billboards.
Although Moylan did not respond directly to Guam News Network's question about the number 5 on the billboard, he did apologize on Sept. 1 for not responding stating he was in meetings and would "get to" Guam News Network's questions. He also requested for GNN's email address which was provided.
On Sept. 2, Moylan again apologized for being nonresponsive calling his schedule "hectic" and said he would have "Austin respond within hour."
Hours later no response was received, Guam News Network sent a separate message to Moylan's Attaché to the AG Administrative Offices, Austin Fortuno through WhatsApp following up on pending responses. That message was not answered.
Moylan has not responded to questions about whether the number “5” displayed on the billboard is related to his ballot placement in the upcoming election.
A subsequent follow-up request sent on Sept. 4 through WhatsApp addressed specifically to Fortuno also went unanswered, although the platform's notifications show the message was received and read Sept.9.
The OAG billboard does not contain the disclaimer required under 3 GCA section 17120 for political advertising. Whether the billboard falls under the political advertising statute, however, has not been determined. Other Attorney General candidates who have erected campaign billboards contain the true name and address of the candidate, committee, person or political party paying for the billboard.
Guam Election Commission Executive Director Maria Pangelinan told Guam News Network the commission would review Moylan's campaign contribution report.
Under 3 GCA section 17101, a contribution includes anything of value provided for the purpose of influencing the election of a candidate or the outcome of a ballot question. The provision also addresses the use of funds or other things of value for those purposes.
Pangelinan directed Guam News Network to the Civil Service Commission and Guam Ethics Commission indicating they would be better suited to answer any questions related to the matter.
Civil Service Commission Executive Director Daniel Leon Guerrero told Guam News Network no complaint has been filed regarding the matter described.
Guam Ethics Commission Executive Director Nico Fujikawa could not confirm or deny the existence of a complaint or investigation, citing legal protections for respondents and complainants.
A final attempt to secure a response from Moylan was sent on Sept. 10. However, questions regarding the significance of the number 5, who authorized its inclusion on the OAG billboard, who authorized payment for the billboard, the funding source and why it is the only one of 29 billboards to contain the number 5 remain unanswered as of publication.