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Court approves travel subsidy for defendant who fled to Wisconsin
The U.S. District Court for the NMI has granted the request for travel subsidy for a man who is facing federal charges in the CNMI but had fled to Wisconsin where he was arrested.
Bonifacio “Boni” Sagana filed a request with the District Court for the NMI last Friday to arrange for his noncustodial transportation to Saipan or furnish him with the fare for such transportation to Saipan, as well as provide an amount of money for subsistence expenses to Saipan, so that he may appear in the NMI District for his arraignment and further proceedings in this matter.
In an order issued the same day, District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona granted Sagana’s request after he was deemed indigent and could not afford to travel to the CNMI on his own expense.
“Sagana lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is out of custody, on pretrial release. He has been found indigent and provided court-appointed counsel in this district and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. As shown by his financial affidavit, he does not have the means to pay for his travel to Saipan,” the court stated.
Following the issuance of the court’s order, the U.S. marshal was tasked to arrange for Sagana’s noncustodial transportation to Saipan.
The court has scheduled a status conference for June 29 at 9am.
According to court documents, the U.S. District Court for the NMI issued an arrest warrant for Sagana following a grand jury indictment back on Jan. 31, on the charge of conspiring with others to unlawfully produce a CNMI driver’s license.
However, Sagana fled the CNMI before he could be arrested and was only arrested on May 16, in Wisconsin.
Sagana was allegedly identified by other defendants facing the same charges as the person who arranged for them to fraudulently obtain a CNMI driver’s license using a counterfeit U.S. immigration visa number.
According to documents from the Eastern District Court of Wisconsin, Sagana, a U.S. permanent resident, appeared at an initial hearing on May 16, before Judge James R. Sickel.
The charge against Sagana is punishable by up to a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
