Last defendant in illegal entry case pleads guilty

Designated Judge David Wiseman set Jian Li’s sentencing hearing for May 28, 2010.

Li is the former boyfriend of  masseuse Qingmei Cheng who acted as his translator in dealing with a boat captain — an undercover federal agent — and 22 other nonresidents.

Li was represented by court-appointed attorney Joe Hill while Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Schuler prosecuted the case. An interpreter assisted Li, who is currently out on bail.

According to the stipulated facts in the plea agreement, Li “was predisposed to smuggle aliens from Saipan to Guam, and was not induced to do so by the undercover boat captain or the government.”

Cheng signed a plea agreement last week, admitting to one count of aiding and abetting the attempted improper entry by an alien.

Cheng has been placed on one-year probation. The court imposed a 36-day jail term on her for the time already served.

Twenty-one other defendants signed plea agreements, while another was found guilty after a bench trial in federal court.

 

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