“ HON. LAVULAVU CONVICTED IN U.S. FORGERY CASE
Ko e maumau lao 'a Hon. Lavulavu na'e a'u ki Amelika...
It was a deception scheme involving 700 Tongans who paid $2,000 each for fake U.S. birth certificates, was also reported by the Deseret Daily News, March 3, 2004, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Utah Police have been searching to serve Hon. Lavulavu since 1997, and finally arrested him at Salt Lake International Airport in October, 2003. He spent 21 days in jail, and charged with 11 felony counts. But prosecutors reduced the charges due to seven (7) years of stale records, and Hon. Lavulavu pleaded guilty to two (2) misdemeanor charges. He was fined $5,000.
Hon. Lavulavu bragged outside the court house that he was released without punishments, but the Deseret Daily News obtained the official documents. ‘Etuate S. Lavulavu was guilty on two (2) counts of forgery, fined $5,000, a conviction which would have impeached a U.S. senator in Congress, the Deseret Daily News reported.
FORGERY ACTIVITIES
The forgery scheme involved his elder brother Samuela Lavulavu, and an accomplish Tongan lady name Ana Malia Fuka who was an employee at the Utah Vital Statistics department. The Lavulavu brothers forged Mormon blessing and baptism certificates as well to do their illegal activities.
The Deseret News reported the Lavulavu brothers passed these faked Mormon records to Ms. Fuka who then issued U.S. birth certificates for the purpose of establishing U.S. citizenship for their clients.
Samuela Lavulavu served prison time for his involvement in 1998, and Ms. Fuka was sentenced to serve community services in 1998. Some of the Tongan people who received U.S. citizenship were tracked down by Immigration agents, and sent back to Tonga.
LEADERS LAWLESSNESS
Utah Police confirmed that several IDs with different names were used by the Lavulavu brothers. Etuate Lavulavu was discovered to have used an Utah notary stamp to validate the fake documents. This is total dishonesty to rake in over US$140,000 using forgery methods.
Hon. Lavulavu and his brother went about with deceptive and cunning means to establish faked citizenship statuses for fellow Tongans. They turned these Tongan people into fugitives, and on the run from the law, are probably looking over their shoulders every day for fear of being deported back to Tonga.
This government leader is not setting good examples for the youths of Tonga. He is being encouraged by his colleagues in Government who shared the same values of total disregard for the rule of law.
Question: How did Hon. Lavulavu get to vote on his own impeachment? ”