A prisoner’s civil rights violation complaint against the Department of Corrections was dismissed by a federal judge Tuesday for missing a deadline. 

Inmate Joshua John Tedtaotao, also known as Joshua Pangelinan, accused DOC of putting his life at risk by housing him with COVID-19 positive inmates when he tested negative, among several other accusations. 

DOC spokesperson Major Antone Aguon responded to those allegations. He said, “I cannot verify those claims right now but any move in regards to COVID was a medical decision. So I don't get involved in all their medical issues. But if he was moved, he was by the advice and consent of the medical.”

It's not the first time the inmate lodged a complaint against the prison or had his case tossed. The first time for failing to update his address within 30 days after legal documents were returned to the court as “undeliverable,” but he alleges the prison ‘intercepted’ the legal mail. 

Tedtaotao has been incarcerated at the Mangilao prison since February 2014, serving a 12 year sentence for burglary as a second degree felony. 

Aguon said it’s unclear why the mail never came into his possession. “I can’t speak to the specifics of his mail. Like I said, I don’t have access to his mail log. I don’t have access to those things on why he didn’t receive his mail. There could be several reasons but I just don’t know right now why,” He explained. 

On October 2023, the court granted his request for a 60-day extension to file an amended complaint which was then tossed for missing that deadline. 

The complaint accuses two high ranking officers with the prison, including the warden, along with its medical doctor. 

Tedtaotao said he informed the prison of a conflict of interest as he had filed a complaint against the doctor. 

Aguon said, “Just because inmates don’t get what they want, when they tell the doctor what they want and they say no, there’s a tendency to want to file a complaint because the doctor won’t give them what they want in the manner they want it. That's not the way it works in prison.”

Tedtaotao also alleged a handful of officers of money betting on who could put him in confinement. 

Aguon said the inmate later allegedly admitted he lied after he was found with contraband. “He admitted to the lieutenant that he lied about his complaints and that he was frustrated. He didn’t want to get moved out of the unit and he thought if he made a complaint against the officers, we would not move him for violating the rules. But he is currently back at the minimum security unit,” He said.

Meantime, Tedtaotao remains in the halfway house for rehabilitation and is set to be released from prison in February 2026.    

No word yet if he plans to refile his lawsuit against the prison.