Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On June 1, 2024 at about 10:04am, a woman walked into the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) to report an incident that occurred between her 15-year-old niece and a 22-year-old male individual, who the victim identified as her boyfriend.

The defendant was charged with the following:

Count 1: Sodomy — a class B felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than five (5) years nor more than fifteen (15) years.

Count 2: Sexual Abuse in the First Degree — a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment not to exceed five (5) years, a fine of $5000, or both.

Bail for the defendant was set at $5000.

Samoa News is withholding the name of the defendant to protect the identity of the underage victim.

According to the court affidavit, the woman who reported the incident stated that she brought her niece to live with her since it was closer to her niece’s school. The victim was interviewed in the presence of her aunt (reporter).

In her statement, [the niece] explained that “she did not know the suspect until he added her on Facebook.” The victim shared that on May 13, 2024, she posted her story on Facebook and the suspect replied to the story saying “if you need help, I’m here”.

On May 17th, the suspect asked the victim if she wanted to be his girlfriend however she did not reply. On that same day the victim and suspect met in person and “were only talking and kissing” behind a church in the village.

On May 22nd, they met for the second time in the same place and still “were only talking and kissing”.

It was on May 27th at about 11:30pm that the victim met with the suspect for the third time that “he hugged her” and asked if he could perform oral sex on her.  The victim stated that “she refused and told him no because she was not comfortable with it.”

On June 1st, at about 1:00am, the victim shared that “she met with the suspect for the fourth time in the graveyard” and that he asked once again if he could perform oral sex on her. Again, the victim stated “no”.

The victim expressed that she said “no” twice, however the suspect did not listen and forcibly pulled her pants down. The suspect allegedly performed sexual acts on the victim and “left bruises (hickey)” on her bust area.

On June 1, 2024 at about 11:29am, police officers contacted Social Services and informed them of the incident. At around 2:45pm, Social Services arrived and officers briefed them on the incident(s) involving the victim and suspect.

After Social Service representatives spoke with the victim in the presence of her aunt, the victim was transported to the hospital, where a doctor completed a physical assessment, after which Social Services transported the victim to her mother.

The suspect was transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility for a 48-hour hold.