Pago Pago, AMERICA SAMOA — A woman who owes over $2,000 to a local business has been arrested and she’s now charged with stealing.

Cecilia Tagaloa Tonga made her initial appearance in court last month.

She is charged with one count of stealing to deprive the owner of a local business and appropriate his property, to wit; a living room set belonging to the K&K Island Star Corporation, which has a valued at $100 or more, a class C felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment of for up to seven years, a $5,000 fine, or pursuant to A.S.C.A 46.2101, a fine equal to twice the amount of gain from the commission of said crime, up to a maximum of $20,000, or both such fine and imprisonment.

Bail is set at $5,000.

THE CASE

On July 08, 2020 an account collector from the K&K Island Star Corporation called the Tafuna Police Station (TPS) requesting assistance and reported a woman by name of Cecilia Tagaloa Tonga (the defendant in this matter) has owed the company money since October 2019.

Several police officers interviewed the person who called the TPS.

According to the collector, another employee who was the cashier disclosed that Tonga walked in with a cashier’s check in the amount of $474 for a down payment on a living room set worth $2,100. The furniture set was delivered to the Tonga residence in the village of Aasu after she (defendant) promised to pay the balance at the end of November 2019. However, Tonga did not show up to make the payment.

The cashier made numerous attempts at phone calls and conversations with Tonga telling her she needs to come and make a payment but Tonga from the time the calls began in late 2019 until now, she did not come in to pay off the remaining balance.

On May 13, 2020, Tonga showed up at the company’s location and requested an extension for her payment and was given a Promissory Note to sign. Tonga signed the Promissory Note agreeing to make the full payment in the amount of $2,100 by May 22, 2020.

According to the company, Tonga failed to comply and has not shown up since to make the payment. The company reported the matter to the police after Tonga failed to pay the full restitution in the amount $2,205, which includes the late payment fee in the amount of $105.

The company also disclosed that Tonga was planning to leave the territory.