Fifth member in scheme to transport illegal aliens to Guam identified, pleads guilty

The U.S. government has named another culprit who has since pleaded guilty to conspiring with four others to transport illegal aliens from Saipan to Guam.

The United States filed information yesterday charging Tang Yong Bing for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens to Guam.

According to the information, Tang essentially conspired with Yan Juan Hu Taitano, Lee Jesse Omar Reyes, Ramon Jose Quitano Sablan, and Maverick Ryan Iguel Marlik to carry out the plan to transport Chinese nationals without valid or current legal immigration status to Guam.

Specifically, Tang was the one who paid Taitano $5,000 to transport Kun Li, Chang Cai Dong, Hong Jiang Yang, Ying Chun Wu, Kun Gao, Mei Fang Weng, Xiaohua Li, Xiulan Huang, and himself to Guam. All the Chinese nationals have been charged separately and have already pleaded guilty.

Tang, during a hearing before U.S. District Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy, pleaded guilty to the allegations against him.

He has since been placed on supervised release pending sentencing.

According to information on this case, Tang, Taitano, and Reyes orchestrated the scheme.

To carry out the plan, Taitano and Reyes allegedly hired Sablan and Marlik to captain a small motorboat from Smiling Cove Marina on Saipan to Guam on or about July 9, 2023.

According to court documents, Taitano and Reyes were paid up to $5,000 per individual.

Reyes agreed to pay Sablan to drive the boat and to pay Marlik to provide assistance like refueling the boat.

However, enroute, the boat ran out of fuel and began to drift just before it reached the island of Rota. They all had to be rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The U.S. government wants to forfeit the vessel and the proceeds from carrying out the scheme.