AT an arraignment before District Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy on Tuesday, Bonifacio “Boni” Sagana pled not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to unlawfully produce an identification document.
Sagana has been accused of involvement in producing a counterfeited CNMI driver’s license.
After Sagana pled not guilty, Judge Kennedy set his trial for Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. He was represented by attorney David Banes, and April Sablan served as Sagana’s interpreter.
Judge Kennedy also allowed Sagana to remain released, under his personal recognizance, but prohibited him from leaving the CNMI as part of the conditions for his release.
Sagana told reporters that he was advised by his attorney not to comment about the case.
On Jan. 31, 2022, the federal court issued an arrest warrant for Sagana after he was indicted by a grand jury on the charge of conspiracy to unlawfully produce an identification document.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents learned that Sagana had already left Saipan before they could arrest him.
According to other defendants, it was Sagana who arranged for them to fraudulently obtain a CNMI driver’s license using a counterfeited U.S. immigration visa number.
A former guest worker advocate, Sagana was arrested on May 16, 2022, in Wisconsin.
The federal court then authorized the U.S. Marshals Service to provide Sagana with funds so he could travel from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Saipan, and pay for his subsistence expenses.
Boni Sagana at the United States Courthouse in Gualo Rai, Saipan on Tuesday.
