15 Sep 2003

American Samoan convicted of fraud returns to government job

7:30 am on 15 September 2003

One of the defendants in the AFLAC insurance scam case in America Samoa, Iosefo Toilolo,has returned to his job at the Office of Proucurement.

Toilolo pleaded guilty in June to one count of mail fraud in a plea agreement with the federal government.

He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Toilolo had initially admitted to receiving a false medical insurance claim of 26-thousand dollars, but in his plea agreement he pled guilty to the lower fraud claim of 10-thousand 900.

Shortly after Toilolo returned from Hawaii he started working again at his old government job.

The law prohibits the government from continuing to employ or hiring those convicted of felony fraud, stealing of embezzlement.

Human Resources Director, Puni Penei Sewell says that he is not aware of Toilolo's case and indicated that his office will ask for a review by the Attorney General's Office.

The LBJ Hospital where three of the AFLAC defendants were employed have not accepted them back.