Fofo leaves prison

FORMER American Samoa Con gressman Fofo Sunia was dis charged from a United States pris on in late September and is said to be planning to return to Samoa to teach and do social work. Sunia spent 1 1 months at the Federal Correctional Facil ity at Lompoc, California, one of the pleasant institutions of its type, following a guilty plea for misusing Federal funds.

The four-term Congressman, with the help of his Administrative Assistant Matthew luli, had placed ghost em ployees on his payroll for several years.

The charge was that he had siphoned

off more than US$l3O,OOO in this man ner, which he used to entertain Samoans

visiting the US capital. Sunia resigned

his seat in the House of Representatives in the fall of 1988, and did not seek re-election.

Sunia was sentenced to 15 months in prison, and was told to pay a U 5565,000 fine. His prison record was such that he was given “90 days good time” and left prison early as a result. luli, once one of the best-paid staff members on Capitol Hill, received a lesser sentence and is now selling real estate in the Washington suburbs. □