Sunia Goes To Slammer
p. 21 · Read in the full issue
FOFO Sunia, until recently Amer ican Samoa’s delegate to the Un ited States House of Representa tives, is on the way to jail.
Sunia, who pleadea guilty to
misusing Congressional funds (see
PIM October) and resigned his seat, was sentenced to five to fif teen months in prison by a federal judge in Washington DC. His longtime administrative assistant, Matthew luli, drew three months.
Both paid steep civil fines as well $U565,000 m Sunia’s case.
The United States has sent half a dozen Congressrpen and one Senator to jail in the past decade; the government often (if not routinely) takes a tough stand
against corruption.
The American Samoa delegate’s offices remain open in Pago Pago and Washington, with Mrs Hana F Atuatasi as acting administrator (by appointment of the Clerk of the House of Representatives); she had been the disgraced congress man’s office manager. It is ex pected Sunia’s successor will take over in January.