Man pleads not guilty in human-smuggling case
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
A Waipahu man indicted on human trafficking charges pleaded not guilty yesterday to allegations that he smuggled Tonga nationals into Hawai'i to work for his pig-farm and landscaping businesses.
Advertiser library photo
Federal Magistrate Barry Kurren set the trial of Lueleni Fetongi Maka, 50, to begin Oct. 21.
His defender said Lueleni Fetongi Maka is "well respected" as a businessman.
Maka, who was arraigned on a 24-count federal indictment, is considered a flight risk and will remain in custody at the Federal Detention Center until the trial, said William Shipley, assistant U.S. attorney.
Investigation following the Jan. 27 arrest of one alleged victim led to the discovery of four more, Shipley said. The initial case now will be added to the larger indictment, which was filed Thursday.
The Tonga nationals in the case arrived in Hawai'i in 2001, between May 3 and Aug. 31, and worked on Maka's tree-trimming, rock-wall and pig-farm businesses, he said. They are now applying for special visas that will enable them to remain here, he said.
Federal public defender William Domingo said Maka is "well respected" as a businessman. "We're pretty anxious to get this case to trial," he said.
