The owners and two employees of the former Stardust Club were convicted yesterday of hiring minor girls from the Philippines using different names and forged birth certificates.
David M. Atalig and his wife Corazon R. Atalig, owners of Stardust Club, signed a plea agreement with the government.
David Atalig pleaded “no contest” to one count of immigration fraud, while Corazon Atalig pleaded “no contest” to four counts of aiding, abetting, and encouraging illegal entry.
The employees-Nilda Maniego and Priscilla D. Rulloda-pleaded “no contest” to one count of harboring of an illegal alien. Maniego and Rulloda are sisters of Corazon Atalig.
The remaining charges against the defendants were dismissed as part of the agreement.
Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman accepted the agreement and the defendants' plea.
With respect to David Atalig, Wiseman set the sentencing for Feb. 14, 2008. He directed the Office of Adult Probation to conduct a pre-sentence investigation and submit the report one week prior to the sentencing date.
The plea agreement in David Atalig's case provides for a sentence within the range of two to five years in prison subject to a pre-sentence report and hearing. The agreement also provides for a probation period of up to three years.
In Corazon Atalig's case, Wiseman sentenced her to 364 days in prison for all counts, to run concurrently, with two days credit for time already served.
This means that Corazon Atalig will serve a total of 362 days more. She was directed to start serving the prison term on Jan. 28, 2008 at 8am and shall be released on Jan. 25, 2009 at 8am.
Wiseman said Corazon Atalig shall be eligible for parole as determined by the Board of Parole.
“There is no fine in as much as the parties are resolving a companion civil matter before the Director of Labor which involves substantial compensation or payment by defendants. Furthermore, Star Four Corp. and Stardust Night Club shall cease as ongoing business concerns in that same administrative proceeding,” the judge said.
With respect to Maniego and Rulloda, Wiseman suspended the imposition of sentence and placed the two on probation for three years.
The probation conditions include that Maniego and Rulloda will voluntarily depart the CNMI at their own expenses on or before Jan. 23, 2008.
The two were ordered to each pay $25 in court assessment fee.
In April 2006, authorities arrested the Atalig couple for allegedly employing minor girls and forcing them to dance naked and do other lewd things.
The defendants denied the charges.
The government alleged that the nightclubs used hired minor girls from Philippines using different names and forged birth certificates.
The defendants allegedly locked up the victims by not allowing them to go out from the establishment without escorts.
But nine other employees of Stardust and Star Light nightclubs defended their employers from the allegations they were employing minor girls and forcing them to dance naked.
They said their employers never forced them to dance naked because before they were hired in the Philippines they were already informed about their job as strip tease dancers.
In fact, the workers said, they were videotaped before coming to the island in which they stated that they are not forced to dance naked. They said they are not minors.
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