4 Chinese nationals sentenced for illegal entry to Guam

Four of six Chinese nationals, who were caught in Guam after illegally entering through Saipan, were sentenced last Friday, Sept. 20, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

During the sentencing before U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, Zhenhua Xu, Wei Meng, Hailong Zhu, and Fuyan Yi—four of the original six who were found hiding on private property in Urunao, Yigo in Guam—were all given time served, followed by three years of supervised release. Sentences were consistent across all defendants involved in Counts 1 and 2 of the indictment.

Facing identical sentences, in addition to time served, the four were each ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 assessment fee.

Assistant federal public defender Nicole Cruz Breazeale represented Xu, while Criminal Justice Act counsels Joe McDoulett, Mark Hanson, and Joey San Nicolas represented Meng, Zhu, and Yi, respectively.

The case was also notable for being the first criminal case in the CNMI to involve the federal public defender’s office since Leilani V. Lujan began her term as federal public defender for the districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in November 2023. Breazeale, whose office is based in Maite, Guam, traveled to Saipan to represent Xu.

According to reports, the defendants were apprehended earlier this year, on Aug. 18, after officers from the Guam Police Department responded to a report from a local resident who had discovered the group in hiding. Upon arrival in Urunao, GPD officers discovered a total of eight Chinese individuals, and after investigation found that six of those hiding had been transported by boat from Saipan. The discovery triggering a federal investigation and subsequent indictment.

Upon further investigation, Guam authorities confirmed the six as having arrived from Saipan by boat after being granted legal entry into the CNMI under the visitor-worker visa program. Records also revealed that all six subjects had remained beyond their authorized stay as a visitor or beyond the validity of the visa, with no records to extend their authorized stay on Saipan. The group told the feds they paid a $10,000 transportation fee and relocated to Guam with plans to live there and work for higher wages.

They appeared before federal Magistrate Judge Michael Bordallo, who placed them in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. They were appointed attorneys and scheduled to return to the District Court of Guam for a preliminary hearing last Sept. 3. The four, Xu, Meng, Zhu, and Yi were referred to the NMI District Court, their sentencing concluding last Friday.

As part of their supervised release, Xu, Meng, Zhu, and Yi are required to adhere to specific conditions designed to reintegrate them into society. The 40 hours of community service and the assessment fee reflect a punitive but rehabilitative approach their offenses. The Saipan Tribune hasn’t confirmed information on the other two individuals at this time.