U.S. District Court for the NMI Designated Judge David A. Wiseman presided over the arraignment hearing for Feng Dong and Ya Jing Pei.
The two are accused of fraudulently selling SS cards to illegal Chinese migrants in Illinois.
Each card, which belongs to former Chinese garment workers from Saipan, with the prefix 586, could be sold up to $4,000 if it comes with a fake passport bearing the name on the card.
Feng appeared with his retained counsel, Joseph James Norita Camacho.
F. Matthew Smith is Pei’s court-appointed counsel.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Kirk Schuler is prosecuting the case against the two who also have separate interpreters.
The defendants waived the required 21-day time period for the preliminary and identity hearings, thus, the judge ordered the arraignment to be continued for May 13 at 9 a.m.
An 85-page affidavit submitted by Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent David A. Patch stated that an undetermined number of Social Security cards issued to former Chinese garment workers on Saipan are being sold to illegal migrants in certain cities in the states like Chicago where there are many migrants from China and Korea.
Patch, who is assigned to the Asian/Eurasian Criminal Enterprise Squad of the Chicago Division of the FBI, said the operation of those involved in the scheme is well coordinated as even the passports are faked to match the information on the Social Security cards.
Authorities discovered from both Feng and Pei’s possession several Social Security cards issued to Chinese workers who had since gone back to China.
The two apparently established contacts in Illinois and the money paid for the cards are wired to their bank accounts.
Patch said the Social Security cards are necessary for illegal aliens to legitimize their stay in the U.S. They need it to support their applications for a driver’s license, bank account, employment, credit card, among other things.
The investigation continues.
More than 17,000 Chinese garment workers used to work on Saipan during the clothing industry’s heyday.
The last clothing factory on Saipan closed in 2009.
