FOUR Chinese nationals without immigration status were sentenced to time served for unlawfully entering Guam by boat.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI on Friday sentenced Zhenhua Xu to time served and three years of supervised release. Xu was also ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 assessment fee.
During the proceedings, Xu was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Nicole Cruz Breazeale.
Wei Meng received the same sentence of time served and three years of supervised release. Meng was also ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 assessment fee.
Meng was represented by attorney Joe McDoulett.
Judge Manglona also sentenced Hailong Zhu to time served and three years of supervised release. Zhu was likewise ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 assessment fee.
Attorney Mark Hanson represented Zhu.
In addition, the federal court sentenced Fuyan Yi to time served and three years of supervised release. Yi was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 assessment fee.
Yi was represented by attorney Joey San Nicolas.
During the sentencing hearing, Breazeale told the court that defendants Yi and Xu plan to use the funds that were seized from them on Guam to purchase their tickets. San Nicolas concurred.
Hanson, for his part, informed the court that his client is subject to expedited removal.
According to McDoulett, once the seized property is returned, it will allow Meng to make flight arrangements using a card into which his family will put funds.
Judge Manglona informed the defendants that should they fail to depart the CNMI within a month, she will issue an arrest warrant to bring them back to the court.
Qihua Zheng and Aimin Zhang have also pled guilty, but have yet to be sentenced. They were charged with conspiracy and aiding and abetting transportation of illegal aliens.
According to the indictment, “In or about August 2024, defendants Zhenhua Xu; Wei Meng; Qihua Zheng; Aimin Zhang; Hailong Zhu; and Fuyan Yi combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed with each other, and with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, and abetted a scheme to transport six aliens from Saipan, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, to the Territory of Guam, with the intent that the aliens would reside unlawfully in Guam, knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that the aliens were illegally present in the United States, including in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.”
“On or about Aug. 17, 2024, defendants and two unindicted co-conspirators boarded the motorboat in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and then drove the boat to the Territory of Guam,” the indictment added.
Xu, Meng, Zheng, Zhang, Zhu and Yi arrived on Saipan after being granted legal entry under the parole program for Chinese visitors or the conditional worker nonimmigrant visa program for foreign workers.
