Police investigate alleged rape of 13-year-old girl

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On August 15, 2025, authorities received a call regarding a minor who was allegedly raped by a 31-year-old male who works for the victim’s family and who claimed it was consensual.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

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

Count 2: Sodomy (DV), a class B felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not to exceed fifteen years;

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

Count 4: Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to one year, a fine not to exceed $1,000, or both; and,

Count 5: Assault in the Third Degree (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of not more than $300, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $80,000.

(Samoa News has withheld the names of those involved to protect the identity of the minor.)

According to the court affidavit, the investigation disclosed that on Aug. 15th, at about 11:00 p.m., a 31-year-old male (later identified as the suspect) had sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old female (later identified as the victim) at the victim’s residence.

The victim explained that the suspect and two other men from Samoa, who are working for her father as carpenters, are staying with them at her parents’ house. She also informed the authorities that both her parents were off-island and she was staying with her older sister and their 80-year-old grandmother.

The officers requested permission from the victim’s grandmother to interview the victim, and it was granted. According to the victim, on Aug. 15, 2025, at around 8:00 p.m., she arrived home with her family from the beach. As she walked into the house, the suspect, who was cleaning, called her out, saying, “Psst, psst.” When she turned around, she saw the suspect looking at her and nodding, signaling her to come over.

The victim stated that as she walked back to the suspect to check what he wanted, the suspect leaned over and kissed her on her lips and told her to grab him some water. She went and got a bottle of water and handed it to the suspect.

However, the suspect grabbed her hand and kissed her again, and whispered in her ear and that he wanted to have sex with her. The victim claimed that she replied, “No, not now, later.”

On the same day, at about 10:00 p.m., the victim explained that she went to use the outside bathroom and saw the suspect sitting outside. She heard the suspect saying “wsst wsst” at her and saw him walking towards her. The suspect told her that he wanted to have sex now, but she told him “no”. Nevertheless, the suspect pulled her to the darkest corner of the bathroom and made her face the wall. The suspect then performed sexual acts on her. She also stated that even after telling the suspect she was on her period, the suspect said he didn’t care and continued to rape her.

The victim continued that about four days later, after having sexual intercourse with the suspect, he approached her again and tried to lure her into having sex with him again, but she refused. The victim stated that she was scared and told her older sister and grandmother about the bathroom incident.

Authorities later interviewed the suspect at the station where he was also Mirandized. The suspect understood his rights and agreed to provide a statement and answer questions.

According to the suspect’s verbal and written statement, he has been living with the victim’s uncle (his boss) since December 26, 2024. The suspect admitted that he would wink and blow kisses at the victim to play with her. He explained that one night, when the victim’s uncle left with the victim’s sister, he asked the victim if she could get him some water. After the victim gave him water, to his surprise, the victim was still standing next to him.

The suspect claimed that it made him think that the victim wanted something from him. He continued that they were caught in a moment and ended up kissing each other. The suspect alleged that he didn’t force the victim, and when he asked her, she was only concerned about her uncle’s return. After that, he performed sexual acts on the victim.

The suspect further stated that the second time, there was no sexual intercourse. He said that he had approached the victim to convince her, but she told him to wait until everyone was asleep. The suspect also stated that before he went to bed, the victim asked him how old he was, and he told her he was 32.

He then went to bed, and the victim didn’t come over. However, the suspect explained that the next morning, the victim’s grandmother called him over, and that’s when he found out that the victim had told her grandmother about the sexual intercourse between him and the victim.

Authorities later contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) and spoke with a social worker to report the matter. CPS arrived and assessed the situation, where the victim was later released back to the custody of her grandmother.

The suspect was later booked and confined for 48 hours, to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 31-year-old citizen of Samoa.