Federal agents arrest 1 more Beilida staff

Federal agents arrested on Monday night a staff of Beilida Overseas who was one of five indicted for allegedly harboring illegal workers who were busy on Pacific Imperial International CNMI LLC’s casino project in Garapan.

Hongwei Ma was taken before the U.S. District Court for the NMI on Wednesday for her initial appearance. Attorneys Curtis Van De Veld and Joe Hill appeared as private counsels for Ma.

Ma pleaded not guilty to two counts of harboring illegal aliens. She also entered a denial to the forfeiture allegation.

Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona set the jury trial for June 27, 2017.

Manglona said that Ma may be released for now upon posting a $1,000 unsecured bond plus other conditions.

Assistant U.S. attorney James Benedetto, counsel for the U.S, government, did not oppose.

Manglona advised Benedetto to inform the defense counsel and the clerk’s office as to the date and time the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles was notified about Ma’s arrest.

Ma’s co-defendants are Beilida Overseas president Hui Lu and Beilida’s Wencao Guo and Xiufang Qi.

A separate indictment charged MCC International project manager Yuqing Zhao with harboring illegal aliens.

Of the five indicted, only Lu has yet to be arrested.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ma, 25, claimed she was an employee of Marianas Enterprises Limited, but worked in the Beilida office. Ma allegedly told the FBI that she was responsible for approving all of Lu’s purchases for Beilida.

The indictment alleges that on March 8 through 22, 2017, Ma, Lu, and Guo harbored an illegal alien, Yuanhou Hu, by shielding him from detection and which resulted in Hu’s death.

Hu, a Chinese national, died after falling from a scaffold at the construction site of the Imperial Pacific casino and resort project last March 22.

The FBI found out that Hu entered the CNMI as a visa parolee/tourist and was not authorized to work in the CNMI.

On Feb. 7 thorough March 22, 2017, Ma, Lu, Guo, and Qi allegedly harbored six illegal aliens.

A separate indictment alleges that beginning on Aug. 1, 2016, and continuing until March 31, 2017, Zhao harbored 15 illegal aliens.

MCC International is the construction contractor for Imperial Pacific. Beilida is one of the subcontractors of the project.