Federal trial for Samoan couple moved to November

Salt Lake City, UTAH — The federal trial of a Samoan couple residing in Utah, accused in a fraud scheme where they are accused of stealing millions, has been continued from this month to November this year, following a request from the defense that was not opposed by prosecutors.

Since Samoa News first reported on this federal case in January this year, there have been a lot of readers seeking new information and updates on the federal case against the couple, Misiona Patane, 57 — a.k.a, Papalii Patane, a.k.a, Junior Patane — and his wife, Lavinia Patane, 54 — a.k.a Lavinia Tuiatua.

The couple is accused of defrauding one set of victims out of $1.25 million dollars, along with a related scheme to defraud a “vulnerable adult” out of $2.4 million.

 According to the indictment, Misiona and Lavinia Patane are charged with two counts of bank fraud and three counts of money laundering, while Misiona Patane is separately charged with four counts of wire fraud, six counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of kidnapping. (See Samoa News edition Jan. 10, 2022 for details.)

The defense requested a continuation of the trial, initially set for this month, and the federal court in Salt Lake City granted the motion early this week, with a new trial date for Nov. 7, according to court records, which also states that Misiona Patane remains in federal custody since his arrest late last year while his wife is out on bail