VZCZCXRO5050
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHKN #0046 0990421
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 090421Z APR 09 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY KOLONIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2251
INFO RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 0311
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHKN/AMEMBASSY KOLONIA 2614

C O N F I D E N T I A L KOLONIA 000046 
 
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - (CLASSIFICATION) 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/ANP 
MANILA FOR RSO, MARIO RETA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/09/2019 
TAGS: ASEC PINS FM
SUBJECT: ATTEMPTED ARMED ROBBERY IN THE FSM UNDERSCORES NEED FOR U.S. 
BORDER VIGILANCE 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: DOUGLASSWD, CHARGE DE AFFAIRS, EMBASSY KOLONIA, 
DOS. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
¶1. (U) In the early morning hours of March 26, two young males 
armed with a .22 caliber rifle and a shotgun entered the Chuuk 
State branch of the Bank of the Federated States of Micronesia 
(FSM), demanding entry into the bank's vault.  The bank still 
had not opened for business.  The sole bank employee present, a 
middle-aged woman, lacked the ability to open the vault by 
herself.  In frustration, one of the suspects hit the employee 
in the head with the rifle and fired two shots into the wall. 
The suspects then opened the bank tellers' cash boxes, but since 
the vault remained closed and the money undistributed the tills 
were empty.  The would-be robbers fired three more shots at the 
teller stations and then fled empty handed.  The employee 
immediately called the local police and three suspects were 
apprehended later that day (a getaway driver was also allegedly 
involved). 
 
 
 
¶2. (C) The suspects, all FSM citizens, attended a preliminary 
hearing on March 31 at the Chuuk State Supreme Court.  Chuuk 
State Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Jayson Robert told Pol/Mil 
Assistant that the presiding judge, Associate Justice Jeske 
Marar, is also a close relative of the one of the suspects.  On 
April 1 Justice Marar met DAG Robert and the Public Defender in 
his chambers and stated that the three suspects will soon be 
released on bail of $5,000 each. 
 
 
 
¶3. (C) DAG Robert claims that family members pressured Justice 
Marar to release the suspects.  For the moment, the accused 
remain in jail while the prosecution gather more evidence 
against the bail application. 
 
 
 
¶4. (C) Two of the three suspects (John ANSON, DPOB: 11/03/83, 
FSM; Jessy MEFY, DPOB: 07/07/84) left Honolulu less than a month 
ago.  Both reportedly resided in the United States for at least 
the last three years, and both managed to acquire Category One 
hits in the FBI database.  DHS deported the third suspect 
(Wenson WILLIANDER, DPOB: 12/14/85, FSM) just last January based 
on burglary and drug abuse charges.  Williander's girlfriend 
told investigators that the suspects are members of the "Chuu 
Thug" (spelling is correct) crime gang. 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: This case not only demonstrates potential 
judicial corruption in Chuuk, but also the wisdom of the new 
fingerprinting program for FSM citizens at U.S. ports of entry. 
Since 1999, the U.S. deported approximately 200 FSM citizens as 
convicted felons.  In the past, those deportees could legally 
change their names and return to the U.S. on a new passport. 
Or, if a shady judge released violent offenders similar to the 
ones in this case, the suspects could avoid trial altogether by 
obtaining a new passport and skipping to the U.S.  Now, however, 
with immigration officers checking the fingerprints of FSM 
citizens at U.S. ports of entry, mala fide travelers or 
returning felons can be weeded out.  Justice denied in the FSM 
no longer necessarily creates a problem for U.S. law 
enforcement.  End comment. 
 
DOUGLASSWD