Natrona County Resident Admits Sexual Abuse of a Minor
A man who has been living in Natrona County for the past year and a half appeared in court Tuesday afternoon and admitted that he sexually abused a child last year.
Viliama Tuakoi, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor before District Judge Thomas Sullins. State law allows for a penalty of up to 50 years in prison for anyone convicted of the crime.
However, a plea agreement in the case will allow prosecutors to argue for a prison sentence of no more than 30 years. Also per the deal, two other counts of first-degree sexual assault of a minor were dismissed in exchange for Tuakoi's single guilty plea.
Charging papers say that an investigator with the Natrona County Sheriff's Office began working the case in March. The heavily-redacted affidavit contains an account from the victim, who reported that Tuakoi sexually assaulted the victim, physically removing the victim's clothing and holding the victim's hands down so that the victim could not move.
The victim said that Tuakoi would commit the assaults at night, pulling the victim from the bed onto the floor so that the plastic mattress covering would not make noise and alert others who lived inside the home.
The victim recounted having tried to hold onto a headboard so that Tuakoi could not drag the victim off of a bed onto the floor, but the victim was overpowered. The victim also tried to make a noise each time they were sexually assaulted, in the hopes that someone else in the house would notice.
In an interview with the investigator, Tuakoi allegedly admitted that he had sexually assaulted the victim multiple times.
Public defender Dylan Rosalez on Tuesday asked Sullins to reduce Tuakoi's bond from $50,000 to $10,000. Rosalez said that Tuakoi has three adult children who require intensive in-home healthcare, with which Tuakoi has been unable to assist since his arrest.
Assistant District Attorney Kevin Taheri told Sullins that Tuakoi presents a danger to the community, adding that the substantial sentence looming in the case increases the risk that Tuakoi would flee.
Sullins denied Rosalez's request, noting that Tuakoi, having pleaded guilty, could legally be held without bond.
Sullins advised Tuakoi that he would face deportation as a result of his guilty plea, as Tuakoi is not a U.S. citizen.