Man Who Allegedly Raped 10-Year
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DAILY CIRCULATION 7,000 ONLINE @ SAMOANEWS.COM PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018 $1.00 e Bluesky management team invited Spe- cial Olympics Amerika Samoa committee chair- person Tafaimamao Tupuola, as well as athletes Sina Falaniko and Hanipale, to accept a $1,000 cash donation at the Bluesky main o ce. e money will assist athletes representing American Samoa to the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi. “We’re happy to be able to donate and make this contribution. We commend the work of those involved, including the organizers and volunteers, and making it possible for the ath- letes to participate.” said Bluesky customer ser- vice manager Sherry Sele. “On behalf of Special C M Olympics Amerika Samoa, we want to give our Y K biggest gratitude for your donation and helping to send our athletes to represent American Samoa in the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi.” said Tupuola. Bluesky pledged its donation during the Spe- BLUESKY DONATES $1,000 TO AMERIKA SAMOA SPECIAL OLYMPICS cial Olympics telethon event on April 18. [courtesy photo] Man who allegedly raped 10-year- old girl is not new to the system HE WAS CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ABUSE IN 2011 AND SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS PROBATION by Ausage Fausia bail amount for his client, but he did tell the court Samoa News Reporter that he is deferring his arguments to a later time. A 55-year-old man from Leloaloa was arrested Prosecuting the case is assistant attorney gen- Wednesday afternoon in Nu’uuli after allegedly eral, Woodrow Pengelly. raping and molesting a 10-year-old girl several Felise is facing ten criminal charges, including times. According to court documents, the man is 3 counts of child molestation, one count of rape, alleged to have given the girl money each time 2 counts of sodomy, and 4 counts of fi rst degree after the alleged sexual encounters. sexual abuse — all felonies that carry hefty fi nes Ioakimo Felise, who made his initial appear- and long terms of imprisonment. ance before District Court Judge Fiti Sunia yes- According to the court affi davit, the case was terday morning, is being held on a “no bail” reported to police by two females who saw the status. young girl — followed by an unknown male — Felise’s attorney did not argue to establish a (Continued on page 6) A look at the winning entry for the 2018 Malo e Congres- C M sional Art Competition, entitled “My Traditional Wear”, sub- Y K mitted by Katie Godinet of Samoana High School. Amata and her sta , in partnership with the AS Dept. of Education and the SOFIAS, judged submissions earlier this month. (See story inside for details.) [photo: courtesy] TALOFA AIR UPDATE is photo taken earlier this week shows a Talofa Airways aircra with two re ghters in the rear at Faleolo International Airport. e airline’s chief executive o cer, Toleafoa Je rey Hunter has dismissed any claims that one of the plane’s engines had problems or that there was a re. A local resident, who was a passenger on board the Talofa Airways aircra that day, said the ight from Apia to Pago Pago returned to Faleolo Airport because smoke was coming out of one of the plane’s engines. e passenger took this photo as well as another photo (published in the Samoa News Apr. 25th online edition) which shows the plane surrounded by re ghters hosing down what appears to be smoke coming from one of the engines. ere was speculation that the plane’s engine caught re. Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) quotes Toleafoa as saying that the ight was from Fagalii Airport to Pago Pago but was diverted to Faleolo a er the pilot noticed an engine issue. He said the right engine was not responding properly to pilot actions and the plane was diverted so the engine could be checked, but the aircra would not slow down a er landing. Responding to Samoa News questions from early this week about the incident, Toleafoa said yesterday via email from Apia, “We did not have engine problems or a re. ere were 8 passengers on board. We had to evacuate the aircra because of a minor brake re that started when the airplane stopped.” “Our aircra is grounded for minor repairs from an overheated brake incident we had at Faleolo. All our passengers traveling between the two Samoas for the next couple of days are being accommodated on Samoa Airways,” he continued. “It may take a week or two before we can start service again, as we are awaiting an investigation of the incident and replacement parts for the aircra .” While Toleafoa didn’t elaborate on the “investigation”, RNZI reports that Samoa Civil Aviation Authority has suspended the airline’s services until an expert from New Zealand arrives to investigate the incident. is is the second known incident involving a Talofa Airways aircra , with the rst one occurring earlier this year in January, when the Twin Commander aircra was taxing down the runway at Pago Pago International Airport and the main landing gear collapsed. Samoa News notes there are many travelers who prefer Talofa Airways for inter Samoa travel due to their ights taking only about 20 minutes a er the plane is airborne to arrive at either Tafuna or Fagalii. [courtesy photo] Page 2 samoa news, Friday, April 27, 2018 Federal agency says it lost track of 1,475 migrant children Sponsor of a man who Federal offi cials lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children last year after a government agency placed the minors in the homes of adult sponsors in communities across the country, according to testimony before a Senate subcommittee Thursday. The Health and Human Services Department has a limited assaulted his girlfriend budget to track the welfare of vulnerable unaccompanied minors, and realized that 1,475 children could not be found after making follow-up calls to check on their safety, an agency offi cial said. Federal offi cials came under fi re two years ago after rolling back child protection policies meant for minors fl eeing violence will pay for the crime in Central America. In a follow-up hearing on Thursday, senators COURT SAYS LOCAL IMMIGRATION LAWS ARE IN PLACE said that the agencies had failed to take full responsibility for their care and had delayed crucial reforms needed to keep them from by Ausage Fausia assault, second-degree assault, Court back in 2013. However, falling into the hands of human traffi ckers. Samoa News Reporter felonious restraint, and felony we also understand the need “You are the worst foster parents in the world. You don’t even Acting Associate Justice stealing. But under a plea agree- to protect society from violent know where they are,” said Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of Elvis P. Patea has ordered the ment Tiaalii pled guilty to people like you.” North Dakota. “We are failing. I don’t think there is any doubt sponsor of a man from Samoa second-degree assault and felo- Patea told Tiaali’i that he about it. And when we fail kids that makes me angry.” who was convicted of assaulting nious restraint, both felonies, cannot take back his actions Since the dramatic surge of border crossings in 2013, the fed- his girlfriend to come forward and the remaining charges were on the day of the incident, and eral government has placed more than 180,000 unaccompanied and fulfi ll his responsibility dismissed. the scars on the body of the minors with parents or other adult sponsors who are expected to under ASG Immigration laws, With his guilty plea, Tiaali’i victim will stay forever. It will care for the children and help them attend school while they seek by paying the defendant’s return admits that on Dec. 12, 2017 also remind her how dangerous legal status in immigration court. airfare to Samoa and restitution he struck the victim’s face on her perpetrator was, Patea An AP investigation found in 2016 that more than two dozen of $1,800.00. the vehicle dashboard multiple continued. unaccompanied children had been sent to homes where they were In delivering the court’s deci- times and he pulled the victim’s For the charge of second- sexually assaulted, starved or forced to work for little or no pay. sion in the case against Karisi hair to avoid her from exiting degree assault, the defen- At the time, many adult sponsors didn’t undergo thorough back- Tiaali’i yesterday morning, the vehicle. dant was sentenced to 5 years ground checks, government offi cials rarely visited homes and in Patea told the government When given the chance imprisonment. For the charge some cases had no idea that sponsors had taken in several unre- attorney that under local immi- to address the court, Tiaali’i of felonious restraint, he was lated children, a possible sign of human traffi cking. gration laws, the sponsor who apologized for his actions and sentenced to 7 years in jail. The Since then, the Health and Human Services Department has requested that the defendant asked for a second chance so sentences will run concurrently. boosted outreach to at-risk children deemed to need extra protec- enter the territory has an obliga- he can return home and care for However, the execution of tion, and last year offered post-placement services to about one- tion to fulfi ll. his sick mother. He said he’s the sentences are suspended and third of unaccompanied minors, according to the Senate Perma- According to a report, which remorseful for what he did to Tiaali’i is placed on probation nent Subcommittee on Investigations.