Trinidad

MEMORANDUM **

In consolidated appeal Nos. 00-15697 and 00-15705, Merced B. and John S. Pangelinan appeal pro se the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (“CNMI”) district court’s judgment following a bench trial awarding damages against them in an action alleging they committed fraud and violated the civil Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), 18 U.S.C. § 1962 (c).

We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 . This court reviews for clear error the district court’s findings of fact and de novo the district court’s conclusions of law. Howard v. United States, 181 F.3d 1064, 1066 (9th Cir.1999). We affirm.

We conclude that the district court did not err by entering a judgment in favor of the plaintiffs because the plaintiffs carried *359 their burden of demonstrating that the Pangelinans committed fraud against them and violated the RICO statute. See Wilcox v. First Interstate Bank, 815 F.2d 522 , 531 n. 7 (9th Cir.1987).

The Pangelinans’ contention that the district court lacked personal jurisdiction over them is not persuasive because simply transacting business and owning real property in the Commonwealth subjects the Pangelinans to the…