HSI Task Force officer testifies about alleged scheme by Tydingco couple

Homeland Security Investigations Task Force officer Jesse Dubrall testified yesterday in federal court how Francisco M. Tydingco and Lili Zhang Tydingco allegedly engaged in a scheme in harboring two illegal aliens.

Dubrall, a police officer, is the agent in charge in the case against the Tydingcos who are on trial for two counts of harboring illegal alien.

After Dubrall completed his testimony, assistant U.S. attorney Russell H. Lorfing then called to the witness stand U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Trisha Aguon, and HSI special agent Michael Lansangan. Lansangan is expected to resume his testimony today, Thursday, at 8am.

Dubrall testified that he was the co-case agent in the case, but became the case agent when the original case agent left.

Dubrall said their investigation showed that the Tydingco family traveled to China in September 2013 and returned to Saipan on the same month with a 10-year-old Chinese girl.

Shown the girl’s passport and CBP I-94 Form, the Task Force officer said the girl is a Chinese national who arrived on Saipan on Sept. 26, 2013 and was paroled into the U.S. until Nov. 4, 2013.

Dubrall said the girl was only allowed to stay in the CNMI or U.S. for 45 days and was supposed to leave the CNMI or U.S. after Nov. 4, 2013.

Shown the girl’s passport, Dubrall said the passport was issued in China on Aug. 13, 2013, or less than a month prior to her arrival on Saipan.

Dubrall said the passports and the Customs declaration showed that the child arrived on Saipan at the same time with the Tydingco family.

He said upon arrival on the island, the Tydingco family and the child all proceeded to the couple’s residence in Dandan.

Dubrall said two weeks after their arrival, the couple enrolled the girl at Dandan Elementary School as shown by school records and a statement by Lili Tydingco.

Dubrall said school records also indicate that the Tydingcos were listed as parents/guardian for the child.

He said a map from a school record shows that the child was residing at Tydingcos’ residence.

He said in another section of the school’s registration form, Francisco Tydingco was listed as the uncle of the child.

Dubrall said a letter of authorization document shows that the Tydingcos will serve as legal guardians for the child until her adulthood.

Dubrall said the child stopped living with the couple on Feb. 19, 2015.

On that day, the Division of Youth Services removed the child from the home of the Tydingcos.

Dubrall said he and another HSI special agent interviewed Lili Tydingco on Oct. 1, 2015, where she was advised of her Miranda or constitutional rights.

In that interview, Lili Tydingco admitted that she traveled to China in September 2013 and came back to Saipan with the child, who is her friend’s daughter.

Dubrall said according to Lili Tydingco she brought the child to Saipan to get a U.S. education because education in China was bad.

Dubrall said Lili Tydingco also stated that the parents agreed to pay her $100 per month to cover daily expenses for the child.

After four or five months, Lili Tydingco asked the parents to pay her $120 per month because the $100 was not enough to cover the expenses.

Dubrall said it was agreed that the parents would pay Lili Tydingco’s mother in China.

Dubrall admitted that they don’t have bank records from China showing that the parents indeed paid Lili Tydingo’s mother.

He said Lili Tydingco admitted that the child stayed with them for a total of one and a half years and that during that time, she was enrolled in public school.

Dubrall said Rongxue Liu, the child’s purported uncle, arrived on Saipan on July 25, 2014, and was supposed to leave the CNMI or U.S. on Aug. 7, 2014.

He said Lili Tydingco stated that Liu traveled to Saipan and stayed with them for several days.

Liu was also interviewed by HSI agents in June 2015, in which he disclosed that he arrived on the island on July 25, 2014 and was picked up by Francisco Tydingco.

After arriving on the island, Liu said he paid Lili Tydingco $7,000 to arrange for him to marry a U.S. citizen.

During cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Berline, counsel for Lili Tydingco, Dubrall admitted that their non-custodial interview with Lili Tydingco was not recorded.

Dubrall also agreed with Berline that Lili Tydingco’s statement was not verbatim as it was an HSI agent who wrote it using a summary of Lili Tydingo’s statement during the interview.

The Task Force officer also agreed with Berline that he did not call Lili Tydingco’s mother in China to verify if she got payment from the girl’s parents.

On re-direct examination by Lorfing, Dubrall said Lili Tydingco was asked to review her “summarized statement” and that she signed the document.

CBP officer Trisha Aguon testified as to the date when the Tydingcos and the child entered Saipan from Pusan, South Korea. She also testified as to the date when Liu arrived on Saipan.

Aguon explained, among other things, the CNMI visa-waiver program.

Aguon stated the dates as to when the child and Liu were supposed to leave the CNMI or the U.S.

HSI special agent Lansangan testified that neither the child nor Liu were lawfully present in the U.S. or the CNMI during the time that they were staying with the defendants’ house.

Lansangan said Liu was not given parole status, but only a deferred action, which authorized him to get temporary employment for a year.

Lansangan said Liu was given deferred action because the U.S. government needs his testimony in this case.

Attorney Benjamin Petersburg is co-counsel of Berline for Lili Tydingco. Defense attorney Steven Pixley is counsel for Francisco Tydingco.