Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 13, 2026, a man walked into Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and reported the alleged theft of a checkbook from his church that reportedly occurred  on July 2, 2026. 

The suspect was later identified as Yannis Naidu, who has been charged with:

Count 1: Receiving Stolen Property, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine not more than $1,000, or both imprisonment and fine;
Count 2: Forgery, a class C felony punishable by imprisonment not to exceed seven years, a fine not to more than $5,000, or both; and,
Count 3: Stealing, a class C felony punishable by imprisonment not to exceed seven years, a fine not to more than $5,000, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $10,000.

According to the court affidavit, on July 13, 2026, at approximately 6:45 p.m., a  church official walked into the TPS and reported the theft of a checkbook from the church chapel in Malaeimi on July 02, 2026. The checkbook reportedly belonged to the local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The official, who served as the bishop of the congregation, provided police with both a verbal and written statement concerning the missing checkbook.

According to his statement, on the evening of July 2, at approximately 9 p.m., he discovered that the checkbook was missing from his office. He said the checkbook had been left inside a desk, but when he checked the desk, he noticed that it was no longer there.

The church official told police that the door stopper to the office had allegedly been damaged, and based on the condition of the door, he believed that someone had forcibly entered the room.

After discovering that the checkbook was missing and noticing the apparent damage to the door, the church official notified the church president about what had occurred.

The investigation later took a significant turn when the church official visited a local store in Malaeimi on July 13th. While at the store, the church official overheard the store owner talking about an individual who had come into the store with a church check. The church official approached the store owner and asked about the check. 

According to the affidavit, the store owner confirmed to the church official that the check was connected to the church's missing checkbook. The church official then went to the TPS to formally report the matter.

At approximately 7:17 p.m. that same evening, a police officer, accompanied by two other officers, went to the store in Malaeimi, located across from Manumalo Academy.

Police spoke with the store owner regarding the check that had been cashed at the business on July 8, 2026.

According to the store owner's statement, an individual later identified as the suspect had come into the store with the check. The suspect reportedly told the store owner that the check was his paycheck from working at the church.

The store owner reportedly accepted the check and took a photograph of the suspect's identification card together with the check while he was inside the store. The suspect then went shopping at the store.

His purchases reportedly included laundry detergent, packs of cigarettes, sushi and soda.

The check was for $400. After the purchase was deducted from the check, the suspect reportedly received approximately $330 in change.

The store owner also told police that she noticed something unusual about the check. According to her statement, the written amount on the check read: "Four Hundard Dolly Only [sic].”

Despite noticing the unusual wording on the check, the store owner nevertheless cashed it.

The store owner provided police with a copy of the suspect's identification card and a copy of the check.The check was identified as check number 19970. It was dated July 8, 2026, and was for $400.

The check identified the church as the payer and the suspect as the payee. It was drawn from the church's account at the Territorial Bank of American Samoa.

Officers attempted to locate the suspect after speaking with the store owner, but they were unable to find him at that time.

As investigators continued the investigation, they learned that the checkbook had contained 50 checks in total, and determined that only five checks [of the 50] had been used by the church before the checkbook was reported stolen.

The discovery raised concerns about whether additional checks from the stolen checkbook had been or could be used without authorization.

The investigation remained open for several weeks before police encountered the suspect during a separate traffic-related matter.

On Sept. 7, 2026, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle after observing that its license plate tags had expired. As officers approached the stopped vehicle, they reportedly observed the passenger in possession of an open container. Both the driver and passenger were subsequently transported to the TPS for further investigation.

The driver was identified by police, while the passenger was identified as the same individual, Yannis Naidu, previously identified as the suspect in the investigation involving the missing church checkbook.

At the TPS, investigators confirmed the passenger's identity and connected him to the earlier report involving the $400 church check.

He was Mirandized and indicated that he understood his rights and agreed to waive those rights and speak with investigators. 

During the interview, Naidu provided investigators with information concerning how the church checkbook came into his possession and how checks from the checkbook were being used.

The suspect admitted that his brother had obtained the checkbook from the Malaeimi church. He told investigators that his brother took him to cash checks from the stolen checkbook.

The suspect further explained that he did not have a job at the time and therefore wanted to cash the checks despite knowing that they had come from a stolen checkbook.

Naidut also provided investigators with information concerning other individuals who he said were involved in the scheme.

The suspect claimed that another individual had been with his brother when the checkbook was stolen from the church. Naidu further stated that this individual was also with him and his brother when they traveled to different locations to cash checks from the stolen checkbook.

Moreover, the suspect identified more individuals whom he said had portions of the checkbook or were involved in dividing the checks among themselves.

The individuals identified by the suspect included himself, his brother and three others.

Police subsequently advised the driver of the vehicle of his constitutional rights.

Unlike the suspect, the driver reportedly refused to provide a statement or answer questions concerning the investigation.

The affidavit also stated that investigators were unable to locate three of the individuals identified during the Yannis Naidu's interview.

Police reported that multiple known locations have been searched in an effort to locate them, but their whereabouts remain unknown at the time of the report.

The investigation did extend beyond the single $400 check that initially brought the matter to police attention, as a result of Yannis Naidu’s interview.

Investigators are also looking into the remaining checks from the church's missing checkbook — whether additional checks from the missing checkbook have been unlawfully cashed.

Yannis Naidu is identified as a 26-year-old citizen of Samoa.

The affidavit was filed in the District Court on Sept. 09, 2026.

As with all criminal cases, the allegations outlined in court filings remain accusations at this stage, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

[Editor’s Note: An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation for use as evidence in court. It is not a court decision.]