Today in the High Court of Samoa, Punaotala (Tara) Sakai and Masetoni Isaako pleaded guilty to $5,230.00 (WST) THEFT AS A SERVANT from my company Gold Tick Services Ltd in October/November 2010.
Sentencing will be in early December before the same Judge (Spicer).
The original charge was for over $WST39,000.00 T.A.A.S., however the Attorney General withdrew all items not actually confessed by the couple to the court, and there will be no further action as a result.
UPDATE, Jan 2012: According to the Investigating Officer, Masetoni Isaako received 9 months jail. Tara Sakai failed to appear and a warrant for her arrest has been issued.
UPDATE, April 2012: According to the Investigating Officer, Punaotala (Tara) Sakai was arrested in early April 2012 on further charges of theft/false pretenses (not against us), and was held in custody until she received 24 months jail at her sentencing on Monday 23 April 2012 according to Justice Slicer’s ruling, “as and from 27 March 2012″.
Samoa Observer (27 April 2012) has a front page story reporting Tara’s attempt to be exported to serve her sentence in New Zealand entitled “Woman begs to be deported” and the sentence in full. It quotes our Victim Impact Statement extensively. Of note also is Justice Slicer’s summary of her criminal record that indicates some serious recidivist criminal activity that commenced in 1997 including:
- Aliases (6)
- Theft (4)
- Document Fraud (55)
- Breach of Supression Orders (2)
- Obtaining Financial Benefit by Deception (9)
- Breach of Conditions of Detention (1)
- Breach of Community Work Orders (1)
- Breach of Bail (3)
