YAN Juan Hu Taitano and Ramon Jose Quitano Sablan on Thursday pled guilty in federal court to the charge of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.
Taitano, Sablan and two other co-defendants, Lee Omar Reyes and Maverick Iguel Marlik, were accused of orchestrating a plan to illegally transport nine Chinese nationals by boat from Saipan to Guam.
Marlik pled guilty on Feb. 26. His sentencing is scheduled for July 12 at 9 a.m.
Reyes, who pled guilty on Feb. 13, will be sentenced on June 28, at 9.a.m.
Taitano and Sablan entered a plea of guilty to Count 1 of the indictment charging them with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens in violation of 1324(a)(l)(A)(ii) and (v)(I).
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI found the defendants fully competent to enter a knowing and voluntary plea.
She scheduled their sentencing for Aug. 30, at 9.a.m.
She also vacated the jury trial and unsealed the plea agreements of the defendants.
At the hearing, Sablan was represented by attorney Janet King while Taitano was represented by attorney Robert T. Torres.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric O’Malley appeared for the federal government.
The indictment
According to the indictment, “Beginning in or about June 2023, Yan Juan Hu Taitano and Lee Jesse Omar Reyes orchestrated a plan to transport a group of nine Chinese nationals, all of whom are unindicted co-conspirators, from the District of the Northern Mariana Islands with the intent to unlawfully enter and reside in the Territory of Guam, knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that the Chinese nationals had no right or authority to enter Guam.”
In furtherance of the plan, Taitano and Reyes hired Ramon Jose Quitano Sablan and Maverick Ryan Iguel Marlik to drive a small motorboat from Smiling Cove Marina, Saipan to Guam, on or about July 9, 2023, “for the purpose of transporting and moving the Chinese nationals in furtherance of a violation of law,” the indictment stated.
It added that the Chinese nationals agreed to pay Taitano and Reyes up to $5,000 per individual to be transported from Saipan to Guam.
The Chinese nationals met Taitano and Reyes “on at least two occasions to make down payments, part of which…Taitano and Reyes used to purchase the motorboat that was to be used for the trip,” the indictment stated.
On or about July 9, 2023, “defendants arranged for the boat to pick up the Chinese nationals at Smiling Cove Marina with the goal of transporting the Chinese nationals to Guam. Reyes agreed to pay Sablan to drive the boat and Marlik to provide assistance, including to refuel the boat en route. The boat departed Smiling Cove Marina at approximately 9 p.m. with Sablan and Marlik as well as the nine Chinese national passengers on board,” the indictment stated.
“The boat proceeded south toward the Territory of Guam. The boat ran out of fuel and began to drift just before it reached the island of Rota, thus necessitating a rescue operation by the United States Coast Guard,” the indictment added.
It stated that on or about July 10, 2023, Yan Juan Hu Taitano, Lee Jesse Omar Reyes, Ramon Jose Quitano Sablan and Maverick Ryan Iguel Marlik “combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed with each other, as well as others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to violate 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(l)(A)(v)(I), specifically, conspiracy to transport illegal aliens in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(l)(A)(ii), to wit, by agreeing to transport the nine aliens…knowing and in reckless disregard that said aliens were in the United States in violation of law and in furtherance of such violation of law, all in violation of Title 8, United States Code, 13 Section 1324(a)(l)(A)(ii) and (v)(I).”
According to the indictment, the illegal aliens were Li Xiaohua, Dong Changcai, Huang Xiulan, Yang Hongjiang, Weng Meifang, Wu Yingchun, Gao Kun, Tang Yongbing and Li Kun.
They were charged separately.
