Bank rob suspect to be arraigned today

Vann Le, the alleged mastermind in the robbery of the City Trust Bank in April 2002, would be arraigned today at the U.S. District Court on the criminal charges against him.

Chief Judge Alex R. Munson scheduled the arraignment after Le appeared yesterday in court without a lawyer.

The judge said the court would appoint a lawyer for Le, who indicated that he could not retain the services of a lawyer at the moment.

Clad in orange prison attire, Le appeared in court for the first time since he was charged with three criminal counts—Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery and using and carrying a firearm during crime of violence—together with two other defendants.

The Associated Press reported that Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security turned Le over to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Saturday at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport— the third time in the past 12 months that Vietnam has handed over an American fugitive who had taken refuge in the country.

Le was arrested in southern Ho Chi Minh City in December 2003 and was in Vietnamese custody until Saturday. Before Le could be brought to Saipan, Vietnam police had to ready extradition proceedings against him.

Le, a Vietnamese-born American national, reportedly went into hiding in Vietnam in January 2003 in the name of Bui Quang Khai with a business visa. He invested in a telephone and telecommunication equipment company in Ho Chi Minh City. On Saipan, he used to directly manage his own watersports company.

Local and federal authorities announced solving the bank robbery case in February 2003, charging three men—including Le—in federal court. At that time, the FBI took custody of the two other defendants, Norman Kapileo and Lionel Borja, while Le remained at large.

According to the AP report, Le was once sentenced to 10 months in prison by a HCM City court for falsifying government seals and documents.

Kapileo and Borja went to the City Trust bank in Gualo Rai on April 12, 2002 and robbed the bank of some $8,649. Before fleeing, Kapileo fired his gun.

The court had already sentenced Kapileo to 15 years and 10 months imprisonment after the defendant pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob the bank and another charge of using and carrying a gun during the robbery. Borja had also owned up to some of the charges in a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Munson had also sentenced to 33 months imprisonment one Jason Ruluked for obstructing the probe on the bank robbery and making false statements to federal agents.