While some government vendors waited months to get paid, one business, Comfort Cuts, was cashing-in. Now, its connection to a pandemic fraud scheme involving nearly $2 million is under federal scrutiny, with Charissa Tenorio and Frankie Rosalin at the center.

Comfort Cuts and Grounds Maintenance, LLC, a name known more for landscaping than lawbreaking, is now tangled in a federal investigation tied to pandemic unemployment fraud. According to prosecutors, Tenorio and Rosalin played key roles in wiring and collecting funds meant for struggling residents. But instead, authorities say they helped reroute benefits into their own pockets, with some of that money linked directly to the Comfort Cuts account. 

Also named in the investigation is Winnie Santos, who served as office manager for Comfort Cuts, further tying the business to the fraudulent claims.

Tenorio is accused of withdrawing over $12,000 in stolen Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) funds in September 2020. And that’s not all - she’s also facing a charge of witness tampering, accused of harassing two individuals last August to keep them from talking.

Rosalin, listed alongside Tenorio in the indictment, allegedly helped orchestrate the scheme that involved checks mailed directly to the conspirators and the misuse of positions tied to the Guam Department of Labor.

But here’s what’s raising eyebrows: Comfort Cuts had not only a contract with GDOL, but has had an ongoing contract with the Department of Parks & Recreation for lawn services at Tiguac Cemetery. The deal with DPR was typically worth $24,750 per year, but in Fiscal Year 2024, the payments doubled.

According to documents obtained by KUAM News through the Freedom of Information Act request with Department of Administration, two separate contracts, each for $24,750 per six months, pushed the total to $49,500; and unlike many other GovGuam vendors who have had to wait for payment, Comfort Cuts was usually paid in a timely manner.

Whether services were provided consistently, whether those payments were legitimate or a front for laundering funds is now a question only the courts can answer.

Both Tenorio and Rosalin are presumed innocent. But with a paper trail, federal charges, and now a closer look at government contracts, Comfort Cuts may soon face more than just overgrown lawns.