A 63-year-old Samoan chief who enslaved two young people, raped one of them, and stripped both of their freedom and income for years is set to be sentenced, according to RNZ.
Moeaia Tuai was found guilty after a jury heard how he “treated a person as if they were owned,” the legal definition of slavery presented during the trial.
Prosecutors detailed how Tuai exercised near-total control over his victims’ lives—restricting where they could go, who they could see, and who they could speak to.
He used violence and threats to enforce obedience, withheld their wages, denied them access to money, and warned them of deportation if they resisted.
At trial, Tuai’s own diaries became critical evidence. They recorded the hours the young woman worked, how much she was paid, and when she was “punished” with beatings.
The prosecution told the jury that only one of the elements of slavery was needed to secure a conviction, but that Tuai had committed them all.
He confiscated the victims’ passports and bank cards, kept their wages, and paid them little for their labour. One young male victim worked between 50 and 60 hours a week, receiving just $100 to $150—equivalent to $2 or $3 an hour.
He dreamed of finishing school but was instead forced into years of labour.
The young man escaped in 2020 after four years, including time spent in Australia. Four years later, the female victim raised the alarm after Tuai raped her. Police investigations then uncovered the full extent of the slavery both had endured.
During that period, the two victims—who cannot be identified—were at the very start of their adult lives, yet were compelled to surrender their incomes to Tuai. One victim alone is estimated to have lost more than $78,000.
Tuai denied all charges, but the jury unanimously convicted him on 19 counts, including two of slavery and multiple sexual offences against the female victim.
He now awaits sentencing for crimes that the court heard amounted to the total domination of two young lives.
