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Court hears two stealing cases — sentencing on tap

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ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 37-year-old man who was convicted of stealing, and later selling a tool box containing tools belonging to a mechanic, has been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine as a condition of his 7-year probation sentence.

Fareti Talalelei was convicted of stealing, a felony punishable by 7 years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.

During sentencing, Talalelei apologized to the court and asked for a second chance to return home to his family. He also apologized to the company that was affected by his actions and promised never to do it again.

His attorney, Assistant Public Defender Ryan Anderson and prosecutor, Deputy Attorney General Laura Garvey asked the court for probation, without any jail time.

Garvey said Talalelei stole the toolbox and then sold it to a third party who has since returned it to the rightful owner, and Talalelei has already paid back to the third party the money he received from the sale of the toolbox.

Associate Justice Fiti Sunia said the court normally goes straight to sentencing after a 'change of plea' within a month; but in this case, the one-year period during which the case has been stalled, has been to Talalelei's advantage because it has given the court the opportunity to see his behavior in public, and he has done well, which tells the court he is someone who'll do well on probation.

Talalelei was sentenced to 7 years probation, under the condition that he serve 28 months in jail. He was credited for the 83 days he has already served, and the balance is stayed, as long as he complies with all conditions of probation.

He is also to pay a $1,000 fine within 6 months, and he is not to make contact with the company that was affected by his actions.

AFASENE FAALAGO

A 45-year-old man accused of stealing checks from a businessman and forging his signature has pled guilty.

Afasene Faalago is charged in two separate cases.

In the first case, he is charged with stealing and fraud, both felonies. For the second case, he is charged with stealing, resisting arrest, third degree assault, and trespassing.

Under a plea agreement, Faalago pled guilty to forgery, a class C felony; and resisting arrest, a class D felony. The remaining charges were dismissed.

Faalago admits that on or about Mar. 28th, 2019, he signed a check from JI LIN Store in Tafuna without the owner’s permission. He further admits that he forged the signature of the store owner on the check, and pretended he was the owner.For resisting arrest, Faalago admits that on the Mar. 30th, he ran away from police when they stopped by his mechanic shop to arrest him.

The court accepted Faalago’s guilty pleas and he is remanded back to custody to await sentencing on Feb. 27th.