Alleged overstayer is arrested

Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested on Saipan last Wednesday an alleged overstaying tourist who was found in possession of a CNMI’s driver’s license that he allegedly obtained through fraudulent papers.

Guangyi He, a Chinese national, was served with an arrest warrant after HSI filed before the federal court a complaint charging him with producing a fraudulently obtained identification document.

He was taken before the U.S. District Court for the NMI Thursday afternoon for his initial appearance hearing.

HSI task force officer Cristin Duenas stated in an submitted in court that Department of Public Safety police officers did a traffic stop on He, who presented a CNMI driver’s license.

Duenas said that DPS had received a report that a man had been forced into a car. The caller described the car and its license plate.

Police officers responded and stopped the vehicle that had He as the driver and three other Chinese nationals as passengers.

Duenas said police officers asked for assistance from HSI and brought He and the three others to HSI office for identity verification. Using the DHS system, HSI allegedly discovered that the four are illegally present in the CNMI.

Duenas did not mention whether the three were also arrested.

Duenas said He, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, had overstayed his CNMI-only conditional parole.

Duenas said He allegedly presented a CNMI driver’s license to a police officer that had been obtained using a fraudulent immigration document.

DHS records showed that He entered the CNMI on Dec. 17, 2017, and was supposed to stay only until Dec. 28, 2017. Duenas said He overstayed his authorized parole date and is subject to be deported.

According to the DHS system, the receipt number listed on the immigration form I-797A that He presented to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in obtaining driver’s license was valid but registered to another individual and not assigned to He. Duenas said it was determined that the form I-797 was fraudulent.

During an HSI interview, He allegedly admitted that he paid $1,500 in cash to a person he met on WeChat to assist him in obtaining the driver’s license.

Last Aug. 23, HSI agents also arrested Xiaomei Wu, an alleged overstaying Chinese tourist who was found working as an illegal taxi driver. Wu allegedly obtained a CNMI driver’s license using a fraudulent immigration document.

Wu pleaded guilty last Wednesday to conspiracy to unlawfully produce an identification document and was slapped with a six-day prison term. He was given credit for time served and ordered to immediately report to immigration authorities for deportation.