YAPING Tao and Ming Jin Jin were separately sentenced in federal court on Thursday for bank fraud charges.
Tao was sentenced to time served (one day) while Jim was sentenced to four months in a federal prison.
Tao pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud on June 1, 2022.
Before being charged with bank fraud, Tao was indicted for committing document and visa fraud in 2020.
In that case, Tao was charged with conspiracy to commit the offense of fraud in connection with visas, and fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents.
According to the complaint against her, Homeland Security Investigations conducted an immigration record check on Tao after identifying a vehicle registered in her name.
HSI determined that Tao had no legal immigration status to be in the U.S.
On Jan. 27, 2021, the case was dismissed with prejudice following a request from the prosecution.
Tao was later charged with two counts of bank fraud after she bought two vehicles using a fraudulently obtained CNMI driver’s license.
On Thursday, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI sentenced Tao to credit for time served (one day) followed by two-year supervised release. Tao was also placed on 29-day house arrest.
“You are restricted to your residence at all times except for employment, education, religious services, medical, substance abuse, or mental health treatment, attorney visits, court appearances, court-ordered obligations or other activities as pre-approved by the officer,” the judge said.
Tao, who was represented by Attorney Colin Thompson, was also ordered to pay a special assessment fee of $200 immediately after the sentencing.
The other defendant
For his part, Ming Jin Jin (also spelled Mingjin Jin) pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud on June 24, 2022.
Judge Manglona on Thursday sentenced Jin to four months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. After serving his sentence, he will be placed on two years of supervised release.
Jin, who was represented by Attorney Steven Pixley, was also ordered to pay a special assessment fee of $100 immediately after sentencing.
He was ordered to self-surrender on Sept. 11, 2023, at 8 a.m. to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The judge told Jin that if he fails to self-surrender, it will be a separate crime.
In 2019, Jin was sentenced by the federal court to one-year probation for presenting a fake driver’s license and a fake vehicle registration during a traffic stop.
As part of his sentence, he was prohibited from operating a vehicle since he did not have a valid CNMI driver’s license.
But Jin purchased a vehicle on Jan. 28, 2022 and was later seen driving the car by a U.S. probation officer. His probation was revoked and he was sentenced to three months in prison.
In May 2022, he was indicted on the charge of “executing a scheme and artifice to obtain funds from a federally insured bank by means of false or fraudulent pretenses.” The prosecution said he used a fraudulent driver’s license in applying to purchase a 2022 Toyota Prius from the Atkins Kroll car dealership.
According to Variety news files, Jin entered the CNMI in 1991 as a garment worker, and lost his immigration status in 2019. He has two sons born on Saipan.
