Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A Samoan man residing in Hawaii has pled not guilty to three federal charges, including obtaining more than $117,000 in Social Security Administration benefits using another person’s name.

Laneserota Fa’avesi Seufale appeared Monday at the federal court in Honolulu where his defense attorney entered no guilty pleas to the three-count federal indictment handed down earlier this year by a federal grand jury, according to the federal records. And the indictment was unsealed last week Friday.

Count One of the indictment charges Seufale with the “theft of public money”.

The indictment alleges that beginning around June 2002 and continuing through May 2018 — within the District of Hawaii and elsewhere — Seufale, did willfully and knowingly steal and convert to his own use things of value of the United States, namely benefit payments from the Social Security Administration, in the amount of approximately $117,068.73 for which he applied using the identity of “K.P.M”.

Count two against the defendant is “passport fraud”.

The indictment alleges that around July 17, 2017, within Hawaii and elsewhere, Seufale willfully and knowingly made a false statement in an application for a passport with intent to induce and secure for his own use of a U.S passport, despite the fact that the defendant is a citizen of the Independent State of Samoa, but he falsely stated that he was “K.P.M” — who is a U.S citizen.

The defendant is charged under Count 3 with “aggravated identify theft”.

This is for knowingly transferring, possessing and using the identification of  “K.P.M”, during and in relation to a felony violation — namely passport fraud.

The federal government through the indictment gives notice to the defendant that upon conviction of offenses in Count 1 and Count 2, the government will seek to forfeit any and all property that continues or is derived from proceeds traceable in this alleged crime.

Additionally, prosecutors will seek a money judgment in the approximate amount of $117,068.73, which represents the money that the defendant unlawfully obtained from the Social Security Administration.

No information is provided in the indictment as to the relationship between Seufale and “K.P.M”.

According to court documents, the defendant’s case is set for trial early next year, but federal prosecutors have filed a motion for the defendant to be detained without bail — arguing among other things, that the defendant is a citizen of a foreign country and the defendant is a flight risk and that he will flee.

The defendant is currently in federal custody.