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Burglary, stealing charges filed after store break-in

American Samoa District Court building
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The government has filed second degree burglary and felony stealing charges against Filiki Naasona, for his alleged involvement in a store break-in.

According to the government’s case, police received a call on June. 28, 2019 from the victim, reporting that his store was broken into, and that images of Naasona and a man identified as Alatasi Levaula, were captured on the store’s surveillance camera.

The police were shown the footage and told that the two men took off with phone cards, $430 cash, food, and two cartons of cigarettes.

Police identified one of the men in the video as Levaula, and they proceeded to his Tafuna home where he was apprehended. The search for Naasona was unsuccessful that day.

According to court filings, Levaula admitted to breaking into the store and stealing the items with Naasona.

When police went to Naasona’s residence, they found the cigarettes from the burglary, and inside one of the rooms was a 20-year-old male with canned food and $78 cash on him, who said Naasona had given him the money and canned goods.

The government is yet to file charges against Levaula and the 20-year-old male. The government attorney informed the court that police are still investigating the matter.

Naasona made his initial appearance in District Court last week and bail is set at $10,000