An immigration officer in American Samoa has spent three months in jail for issuing false ID cards to two alien students so they can attend school.
Chief Justice Michael Kruse said the court was sending a message to immigration agents that if they broke the law, there was a good probability they would serve time in jail.
Eveline Tuaato was charged with forgery for issuing immigration ID numbers to two children from Samoa to allow them to go to school.
In a plea agreement with the government she pled
guilty to a misdemeanor charge of issuing false documents.
Chief Justice Kruse said Tuaato had put her own seven children at a disadvantage by allowing aliens to remain in the territory illegally.
The court sentenced her to one year imprisonment which was suspended for a two year term of probation and 90 days in jail.
The court also fined her 1,000 US dollars and prohibited her from employment at the Immigration Office.