U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona Villagomez Manglona scheduled Ma’s sentencing for on Dec. 6, 2011.
Manglona also granted the oral motion of court-appointed defense attorney Michael Norita Evangelista to release his client from custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Evangelista told Variety his client might be released after completing the paperwork last night.
Ma has been detained at the CNMI Department of Corrections facility since her arrest in April.
As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution will move for the dismissal of two counts of alien smuggling upon Ma’s sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Benedetto is prosecuting the case.
Ma was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last April for enticing a nonresident couple to come to Saipan and work at a massage shop.
In his affidavit, U.S. ICE special agent Isra D. Harahap said Weifeng Guo and Yuyan Li, both Chinese nationals, reported to the Homeland Security Investigations office on Saipan on Feb. 3, 2011 that they were defrauded by Ma.
