Uncle named as alleged suspect in rape of minor girl

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — According to the affidavit in Support of the Criminal Complaint, filed on November 14, 2025 in District Court, authorities were assigned, on October 16, 2025,  to investigate an alleged rape case referred by the Department of SocialServicesregarding a 13-year-old female minor.

The defendant was charged with:

Count 1: Rape (DV), a class B felony punishable by imprisonment not less than five years and not to exceed 15 years, and a fine of not less than $150;

Count 2: Sodomy, a class B felony punishable by imprisonment not less than five years and not exceeding 15 years, and a fine of not less than $150;

Count 3: Sexual Abuse in the First Degree (DV), a class D felony punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of not less than $150 but not more than $5,000; and,

Count 4: Endangering the Welfare of a Child (DV), a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, a fine not to exceed $1,000, or both imprisonment and fine.

The defendant is held without bail.

(Samoa News has chosen not to identify those involved due to a minor being involved in the case.)

The affidavit reveals that on Oct. 20, 2025, detectives interviewed the victim at the CPS shelter. The victim has been living at the shelter since the matter was referred to CPS on October 6, 2025. She is pregnant.

During the interview, the victim stated that she had been living with her maternal grandparents, her older sister, and her uncle. Her maternal grandfather and the suspect's mother are siblings. The suspect, her uncle, lived in a house behind the victim's residence.

Due to being a close family, the suspect was allowed to come and go as he pleased at the victim's residence; and, sometimes her uncle would sleep in the living room. The victim also mentioned that because they were a tight-knit family, they would communicate via Facebook Messenger.

The victim informed the officers however that around Christmas 2024, the suspect began sending her inappropriate, flirtatious messages; and, on December 27, 2024, the suspect unexpectedly entered her bedroom pushed her onto the bed and started touching her private area, and then raped her.

Following the rape, the suspect uttered, "It's done" in Samoan. He then threatened to harm her (the victim) if she told anyone. Moreover, the victim stated that on Dec. 28, 2024, the suspect had sexual intercourse with her again.

The sexual assault continued until July 2025. She explained that the assaults occurred at her residence, three times weekly — Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays around 10:00 p.m.

The victim was specific about those days because she was home alone while her grandfather went to play Bingo. As a result of the aforementioned sexual relations, the victim got pregnant and is expected to give birth before the end of 2025.

On Oct. 20, 2025, the officers interviewed the suspect at the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS).

He was Mirandized, and acknowledged his understanding of his rights, and stated that he wished to make a statement and answer questions.

According to the suspect, the victim's mother is his first cousin. He admitted that he began having sexual relations with the victim sometime between Christmas 2024 and New Year's Day of 2025, and continued  until July 2025.

He corroborated the victim's statement as to frequency of the sexual relations — weekly and occurring on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The defendant is identified as a 20-year-old U.S national.

[Editor’s Note: An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation for use as evidence in court. It is not a court decision. Under local law, defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty by the court. ra]