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An alleged overstaying tourist says he paid $1.5K to get driver’s license
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Posted on Jan 29 2020
Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested last week another alleged overstaying Chinese tourist who obtained a CNMI driver’s license through fraud.
Fei Deng claimed that he paid $1,500 to obtain a driver’s license.
Deng was taken before U.S. District Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather L. Kennedy on Monday after the U.S. government charged him with conspiracy to unlawfully produce an identification document.
Deng’s court-appointed counsel is Steven Pixley. Assistant U.S. attorney Eric O’Malley appeared for the U.S. government.
Preliminary hearing will be on Feb. 10. Detention hearing will be this Thursday.
According to HSI special agent David West in his affidavit, a Department of Public Safety police officer encountered Deng during a traffic stop last Friday. West said that Deng presented a CNMI driver’s license to the officer for identification.
DPS then contacted HSI for assistance with translation and identification.
HSI found through biometric information that Deng entered the CNMI as a tourist on March 20, 2018, and was supposed to stay only until March 29, 2018.
West said they contacted the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, where they found out that Deng submitted a CW-1 visa, but a search revealed that he had not been issued or approved such a visa.
West said Deng admitted during their interview that he came to Saipan to work and never applied for any immigration status.
Deng said he was then working in construction but wanted a job as a taxi driver.
Deng said he contacted a person in June 2018 and paid $1,500 to help him complete the driver’s license application. Deng said it was the same person who gave him the CW-1 visa, which he submitted to BMV.
