An overstaying tourist from China, the defendant has been charged with making a false statement to a federal agency and with improper entry into the United States by false statement.
Ren’s jury trial will begin on Feb. 6, 2020 at 1 p.m.
At the pretrial conference on Friday, Ren appeared out of custody and was provided an interpreter, Hua Yang, via telephone. Ren’s lawyer is Robert T. Torres.
Judge Manglona ordered that all trial briefs be filed under seal on Jan. 30, 2020. “Once a jury is impaneled, the trial briefs may be unsealed,” she added.
The charges against Ren stem from the statements he allegedly made to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Saipan airport on May 4, 2018.
The U.S. government alleges that Ren misrepresented to CBP that he was visiting the CNMI/U.S. as a tourist, when he in fact planned to stay here.
Ren denies having told the CBP officers that he came to the CNMI/U.S. solely for tourism.
In an interview conducted in November 2019, Ren claimed that the exact words he told CBP were: “Was a visitor, used an excuse to escape the country.”
