Federal authorities have broken up a crime ring that they say has been sending stolen motorcycles disguised as care packages to the Philippines for at least two years.
A grand jury returned indictments earlier this month against Michael Anthony Domingo, Meldrick Nicholas Lagua, Ramon Alayan Calinao, Rickson Agoto Augustin and Arvin Fuentes.
Another defendant, Randy Fernando, agreed to be charged with conspiracy last month and pleaded guilty before the grand jury handed down the indictments against the other defendants.
Calinao, 22, who says his name is Ramon Calinao Alayaon, pleaded guilty Thursday.
Domingo and Fuentes are U.S. citizens.
Fernando and Calinao hold Philippine passports and face possible deportation. The court record does not indicate the nationality of Lagua and Augustin.
According to the indictments, the defendants bought motorcycles on Oahu that they knew were stolen, disassembled them and packed the motorcycle parts into care packages known as balikbayan boxes. They then sent the motorcycle parts to the Philippines through balikbayan box shippers Pinoy Express Cargo, Phil-Ex Cargo, Millennium Express & Travel and FastPack Hawaii.
Balikbayan boxes usually contain clothes, and household and consumer goods destined for needy relatives in the Philippines.
Domingo told investigators it typically took seven balikbayan boxes to ship one complete motorcycle.
Fernando admitted that he also packed motorcycle parts into plastic drums.
Investigators say Domingo took orders for motorcycles from contacts in the Philippines online on his Facebook account. Then he and the other defendants bought stolen motorcycles to fill the orders.
