TWO of the three individuals who were separately charged in federal court with conspiring to produce a falsified CNMI driver’s license have pleaded guilty.
Chun Li, Bernadita Antoni Zata, and Margarito Cortez Villafuerte were each charged by the U.S. government with one count of “conspiracy to unlawfully produce an identification document” on three different occasions.
Li and Villafuerte pleaded guilty on July 7 while Zata, through her lawyer, asked for a continuance.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI scheduled Li’s sentencing for Friday, Nov. 19, at 9 a.m.
As for Villafuerte, Judge Manglona said he will be sentenced on Sept. 28 at 1:30 p.m.
The judge set a change of plea hearing for Zata for July 28 at 10 a.m.
According to court documents, Chun Li on Jan. 4, 2019 conspired and agreed with another person to produce a false identification document — a CNMI driver’s license — to be issued to him.
On Feb. 16, 2017, court documents added, Zata conspired and agreed with another person, identified as B.S., to produce a CNMI driver’s license.
As for Villafuerte, court documents stated that on June 21, 2017, he intentionally conspired and agreed with an individual identified as B.S. to commit an offense against the United States: specifically, to knowingly and without lawful authority produce an identification document, namely a CNMI driver’s license.
Attorney Steven Pixley represented Villafuerte while attorney Robert T. Torres represented Li and Zata.
The three defendants appeared in court out of custody. Judge Manglona allowed them to remain free but ordered them to abide by the conditions previously imposed by the court.
