Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On May 10, 2025, a woman in distress contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and reported an alleged burglary in progress.
Two men were charged with the following:
Sila Malae — Count 1: Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of less than five years, and not more than 15 years;
Count 2 & 4: Stealing, a class C felony punishable by imprisonment of not more than seven years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both; and,
Count 3: Trespass, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both.
Elinonai Kuresa — Count 1 & 4: Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of less than five years, and not more than 15 years;
Count 2, 5, & 8: Stealing, a class C felony punishable by imprisonment of not more than seven years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both;
Count 3 & 7: Trespass, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up tosix months, a fine of $500, or both; and
Count 6: Robbery in the First Degree, a class A felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of less than 10 years, and up to life imprisonment.
Both defendants were denied bail.
According to the court affidavit, on May 16th, the Criminal Intelligence & Investigation Bureau from TPS began an investigation regarding a burglary case at a woman’s home in Iliili on May 10, 2025, the day the incident was reported to the TPS.
The initial investigation was conducted by a patrol officer who submitted a preliminary report.
On May 22, 2025 at around 9:30 a.m, authorities interviewed the woman/ victim at her residence. She verbally stated that on the night of the incident, she was sleeping on her bed inside her bedroom when she felt someone standing next to her, by the bedside. When she opened her eyes, she saw a person standing next to her and reaching across her body to grab her purse and cell phone.
The victim continued that she screamed and yelled out for help while trying to grab the unknown individual. However, the suspect managed to pull away from her with her purse and cell phone, and ran out of her bedroom, exiting her home through the kitchen door.
The victim also stated that her purse contained her important documents and $20 cash. She also informed the officers that a couple of nights before the reported incident, her other house was broken into.
She explained that on May 7, 2025, someone entered their other house where her husband was sleeping and stole her handbag containing Chinese money, Samoan Money (Tāla), jewelry, and her TBAS bank card.
The victim stated that the unknown individual(s) also stole heavy duty equipment and tools, including six headlights and a home speaker.
Authorities asked the victim if she had contacted her bank to request a lock on her card — she had not. She was further advised to get a bank statement for her bank card.
On May 22nd, the victim reported her stolen card to the TBAS, requested a lock on it, as well as a bank statement.
On the same day, the officers obtained a copy of the victim’s bank statement regarding the transactions which revealed that the victim’s card was used on numerous occasions for purchasing goods on different dates at various stores.
According to the bank statement, the total of money that was used from the victim’s bank card for grocery shopping totaled $349.68.
On May 23, 2025 around 10:00 a.m., the officers conducted a follow up at the five stores where the stolen card was used based on the list from the victim’s bank statement. All the stores that were identified in the bank statement transactions were not able to provide video footage of the suspect(s) using the victim’s card due to the amount of time that had elapsed since the purchases.
However, a cashier in one of the stores stated that she recalled one day when she was working, two middle-aged Samoan men came inside the store to buy cigarettes using a TBAS card. When she asked for an ID, one of the men verbally stated that the card belonged to their boss. She looked at the card and observed that it had a Chinese name on it. She wrote down the name on the card and chased the two men out of the store.
On May 27th, authorities conducted another follow up at another store and was told by the store’s cashier that she has a TBAS bank card that she took away from two middle-aged men. The cashier identified the two men as “Sila” and “Jona” who live around the nearby area.
The cashier handed the card to the officers and they were able to confirm from the name on the card as having been issued to the victim.
The two men were later identified as Elionae “Jona” Kuresa and Sila Malae.
They were confirmed by the cashier to have entered the store numerous times and used the card. The cashier also recalled one time she asked Jona and Sila for the owner of the card and Jona handed her an ID of a Chinese woman matching the name on the card. Jona also told the cashier that the Chinese woman is his boss and she gave him the card to buy food and cigarettes.
The cashier then warned the suspects that the next time they came back to the store without the owner of the card, she would not accept the card.
The cashier stated that the suspects came back to the store to buy food using the same card, and she asked again where the owner was and they told her their boss was busy. She then immediately chased the suspects out and kept the card.
The cashier also informed the officers that the suspects usually hang out around the Golf Course at a shack across from Iakina School.
Authorities showed the cashier a photo of the suspects which she recognized as both of the two men who came and used the stolen TBAS card.
On May 31st, the officers received a call from a traffic officer who was investigating a burglary case in Iliili where Kuresa was a possible person of interest. The officer reported that he had Kuresa in custody pursuant to a bench warrant issued by the High Court. Moreover, Kuresa had confessed to being involved with Sila Malae in the burglary case he was investigating and other multiple burglaries around the Golf Course area.
On the same day around 8:15 a.m., the officers made contact with Kuresa at the TPS and informed him regarding the investigation of the burglary at the victim’s house in Iliiili on May 10th.
The suspect was informed of the stolen items and that he and Malae were identified as the two men who had been using the victim’s stolen bank card.
According to Kuresa, around the first week of May 2025 (he does not recall the exact date) during evening, he and Sila were walking on the concrete road behind the Golf Course near the victim’s house. They saw the victim and her husband arguing in front of their house so they intervened. Sila told the victim and her husband that he’s a police officer and that they (victim and husband) needed to settle their differences and keep the peace.
The victim and husband cooperated and the victim’s husband gave them $20.00 as a token of appreciation and they left the premises.
Furthermore, Kuresa claimed that both the victim and her husband were highly intoxicated. He continued that he and Malae waited nearby the victim’s house until later when they went back to the house and saw the victim’s husband sleeping.
At that time, they unlawfully entered the house, ransacked and burglarized it. Kuresa admitted to stealing a purse, as well as other items — equipment and tools, and a phone. etc.
Kuresa claimed that he only stole the bank card, speaker and skill-saw, and that he gave the speaker and skill-saw to a man but kept the bank card. Kuresa accused Malae of taking the heavy duty tools and selling them to a Fijian man who lives across from the Golf Course.
Kuresa explained that two nights after he and Malae burglarized the victim’s husband’s house, they went back to the victim’s house and unlawfully entered her home by forcing the kitchen door. He then went inside the victim’s bedroom and he saw her handbag next to her with a cell phone.
He reached across the victim’s body and grabbed the handbag and cell phone but the victim woke up so he ran to the kitchen and exited the house through the kitchen door.
Kuresa admitted that he and Malae had been using the victim’s bank card to buy food and cigarettes. Sometimes they would both go inside the store and other times they took turns to avoid being recognized or getting caught.
He also informed the officers that one of the cashiers took the bank card. Kuresa also told the officers that Malae is the one that contacts the people to who they sell the stolen items. He claimed that he has sold stolen tools numerous times to a Tongan man who lives in Ottoville.
On May 31st, at around 12:00 p.m., authorities made contact with Malae at the Golf Course. Afterwards, the officers proceed with Malae and Kuresa to the man’s house who they claim is the person to whom they sold the tools.
The officers informed the Tongan man regarding his involvement in buying tools from Malae, to which he acknowledged. The man was informed that he needed to come to the TPS and bring all the tools.
On May 31st, the officers interviewed Malae regarding his name being mentioned as a person of interest in the investigation into the break-in at the victim’s home.
Malae’s statement corroborated with Kuresa’s statement regarding the order of events on the day of the incident.
Police officers were also able to interview the man who bought the stolen items and he stated that sometime in April 2025, someone broke into his house and stole his weed-eater and blower. He confronted the two suspects to return his equipment.
The following day, the suspects came and gave him a blower and chainsaw but it wasn’t his. A week later, they came back and gave him a weed-eater. Furthermore, a few days later, they came and sold him a heavy duty drill hammer and a portable electric table saw, which he bought for $120.
Another man was also interviewed and claimed that he had bought tools numerous times from the suspects. The investigation later revealed another individual who had bought stolen items and authorities confiscated 4 Echo weed-eaters, a blower and 3 chainsaws. The items were bought for $40 - $60 per item.
The victim later informed the officers that a pair of slippers were left behind by the suspect and that when she went back inside her room, she discovered a kitchen knife on her bed. It appeared as if Kuresa brought the knife from the victim’s kitchen.
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