A man who was charged with his mother and another relative in a scheme to move methamphetamine and money between Honolulu and Guam was sentenced Monday to time served and three years of federal probation.
Abel Thammavongsa, 21, was charged in September with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
His mother, Elsie Thammavongsa, was awaiting sentencing on methamphetamine trafficking and firearm charges from an earlier case when the family got caught up in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Her change-of-plea hearing in the latest case was scheduled for July 20 but was vacated, according to federal court records.
Rot Thammavongsa, Elsie’s husband, pleaded guilty April 4 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and remains free on a $25,000 unsecured bond while awaiting sentencing.
In a July 6 letter to U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright, Abel Thammavongsa said he grew up in an “unhealthy environment,” with his father not present and his mother raising him while working in a strip club. When he was 6, Child Welfare Services and his counselor at Waianae Elementary School noted problems with his attendance, poor hygiene and nutrition, and he was taken from his mother and raised by an aunt, he said.
After graduating from high school, Thammavongsa “wanted to develop a bond” with his mom and moved in with her, according to his letter to Seabright.
“I love my mom so when she asked me to put my name on the title of her car, and help her withdraw money from the bank I did so without asking any questions,” he said. “However, now I realize I need to set boundaries when she contacts me.”
He told Seabright that the Touch a Heart meal preparation program recommended to him by pretrial services helped him improve his communication skills. He said his favorite part of the work was delivering food to the elderly, who remembered his name and were always “friendly and joyful.”
Thammavongsa said he hopes to pursue degrees in real estate and business management.
He was facing up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and lifetime supervised release.
His attorney, Andrew Kennedy, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the defendant’s case “was a unique set of circumstances that are not indicative of who Abel is as a person. Abel is ready to move forward in a positive direction.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
On Sept. 12, authorities on Guam identified a suspicious parcel addressed to Abel Thammavongsa’s apartment at 5210 Likini St. A search of the parcel turned up $13,900 enclosed in three separate vacuum-sealed bags hidden inside a rice cooker, according to court documents.
Investigators repackaged the parcel, which was addressed to Elsie Thammavongsa, and arranged for it to be delivered to the apartment on Likini Street.
On Sept. 20, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration executed search warrants at Elsie and Rot Thammavongsa’s apartment at 410 Magellan Ave. and Abel Thammavongsa’s apartment.
Abel Thammavongsa told investigators during the search that his mother used his address to receive drug money mailed to her from Guam. He later said people from Guam would wire money to his bank accounts and that his mother made him withdraw the money and give it to her.
He told agents that about a week before they searched the apartments, he had seen his mother open the package from Guam that had been intercepted by postal inspectors, and that there was money inside the package, packed inside a rice cooker.
In the separate drug trafficking case, Elsie Thammavongsa pleaded guilty Nov. 19, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, trafficking, and possession of a firearm, according to federal court documents.
She is facing up to 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million on the conspiracy charge and up to life in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for the firearm violation.
