Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Two men accused of burglarizing a home in Pago Pago last month and stealing power tools and several items belonging to the owner of the house are now in custody after they were arrested by police.

Fred Ilimaletofi, a.k.a Fred Tofi and James Filipo made their initial appearances in Court last month.

Ilimaletofi and Filipo were each charged with stealing and second-degree burglary, both class C felonies, carrying a maximum sentence of 7 years, a $5,000 fine, or both, for each count.

Bail is set at $10,000 for each man.

A defense motion to reduce bonds for the defendants was denied.

THE CASE

The DPS Central Station was contacted by the victim, after she discovered that her home had been vandalized on the night of May 31, 2022.

It is alleged that the two men forced their way into the victim’s residence at night and stole several items. They then entered the victim’s room and took off with several personal belongings including a laptop and cash. The two men also stole power tools from the victim’s garage.

A neighbor who witnessed what happened reported the matter to the victim who then contacted police.

According to the government, the witness told police that after the men burglarized the home, they also destroyed a television and stereo inside the house.

Ilimaletofi and Filipo were arrested one week after they allegedly committed the crime and were taken into the PCS for questioning.

When questioned by police, Ilimaletofi allegedly admitted that he and Filipo planned to burglarize the victim’s home to score some cash. On the night of the alleged incident, according to Ilimaletofi, he and Filipo entered the victim’s residence and stole several items and they took it with them and later sold it to another couple.

IAFETA TALENI

A 35-year-old taxi driver who was convicted of receiving stolen goods has been sentenced to two years probation.

Iafeta Taleni was initially charged with one count of conspiracy to steal, a class C felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years, a fine of up to $5,000 or both; however, under a plea agreement with the government, Tuinei pled guilty to the amended charge of receiving stolen property, a class A misdemeanor, punishable by a jail term of up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

With his guilty plea, Taleni admits that on Sept. 24, 2021, he received from someone, property valued at less than $100 that was stolen from Lee’s Minimart in Tafuna.

During sentencing, Taleni apologized for his actions and asked for a second chance so he can continue caring for his mother and young son.

The defense attorney said Taleni is a first time offender and he asked the court for a probated sentence without any period of incarceration. He said his client spent almost 5 months at the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF), and he lost his job as a result.

The prosecutor did not oppose the defense's request for a probated sentence, saying the months Taleni spent in jail is more than enough punishment for what he did.

The court agreed, and noted that Taleni has no prior criminal record in High Court, only a few appearances in District Court.

Taleni was sentenced to 12 months in jail; however, execution of the sentence is suspended and he is placed on probation for 2 years under the condition that he remains law-abiding, and pay a fine of $1,000 and restitution of $195.83

BACKGROUND

According to the governnent’s case, Taleni used his vehicle to pick up two men who stole items from Lee’s Minimart in Tafuna on  Sept. 24, 2021 and transported them to Petesa.

After he dropped the two men off, he received some of the stolen items as payment for his service.