The CEO of the American Samoa Telecommunications Authority Folasaitu Sorepa Thomas says the A-250 celebrations was funded from the budget allocation for Inventory for Resale and Corporate Events in the authority’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget. The total allocation was $3.5 million of which $900,000 was for corporate events.
According to the CEO, ASTCA spent just $371,000 on the A-250 celebrations which she said is within the approved budget for corporate events. She estimated the total spending on the celebrations was $1.1 million. $200,000 was paid from OPIOD settlement funds in response to a proposal for funding she submitted to the Governors Office and the balance was paid by the Reid Group.
Questions about the A-250 celebration came up during review of ASTCA’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget at the joint Fono budget hearings yesterday.
Rep Trude Ledoux-Sunia asked Folasaitu to explain the thinking behind spending $1.1 million on such a lavish celebration, that expended much more than the Flag Day celebration. The CEO elaborated that during the Lemanu administration a committee was set up by executive order to plan the A-250 celebrations. However no plans were in place so ASTCA used the A-250 title for promotional and marketing purposes.
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Ledoux-Sunia asked whether the spending has translated into increased revenues for ASTCA, noting that the proposed budget records a 17% drop in subscribers while the budget for personnel has increased.
According to the CEO the subscriber numbers were only a forecast and noted that the subscriber figures in the authority’s annual budgets have never been realized. 18,000 subscribers are forecast for this year. She happily informed the hearing that ASTCA revenues are being spent in the territory. The authority has just made a payment of $2 million to the American Samoa Economic Development Administration and has paid in full the $11 million loan from the American Samoa Government Employees Retirement Fund.
Folasaitu provided detailed reports on the A-250 spending at the hearing.
She fielded a question from Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean if she had cried to the Governor that the ASTCA Board was trying to fire her.
Her reply was no. She explained that she had been subpoenaed by the Senate to testify on the A-250 celebrations. However she was leaving for Washington DC. The Senate later subpoenaed the ASTCA Board. And she stated that she turned over the reports to then Acting Chairman of the Board Alex Sene.
In her statements at the budget review, Folasaitu said it was her position that once the budget is approved it is the CEO’s responsibility to spend the funding according to what is budgeted. However the ASTCA Board was of the opinion that even after the budget is approved the CEO should come back to the board and provide details of the spending. She didn’t think this was appropriate. Nevertheless the reports were prepared for the Board to present. But because there were still disagreements among the board, this resulted in what transpired…the board being dissolved.
A payment of child support for Mr Chuck Leota, the Chief Operations Officer of ASTCA was the topic of several questions.
An ASTCA check of $110,692.40 was issued to the District Court of American Samoa to satisfy a Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act, (URESA) issued by the State of California against Leota.
According to documents provided by the ASTCA CEO a clause in Leota’s contract when he was CEO of ASTCA provided that in the event of early termination that is not for cause, he shall be entitled to a payment equal to one year of his salary.
She explained that the Governor had removed Leota as ASTCA CEO as the Governor wanted to appoint a new CEO from the Administration. The Board then later hired Leota as Chief Operating Officer and made him a career service employee. Leota’s contract was signed by then Board Chairman Avamua Dave Haleck and ASTCA Legal Counsel William Ledoux. A letter from the ASTCA CEO to the High Court explaining why the ASTCA check was issued to pay Leota’s personal obligation was that the ASTCA Board as part of an employment settlement agreement, offered Leota the position of Chief of Operations in exchange for forgoing the severance payment.
However Leota later requested payment of his original severance amount of $135,000 to satisfy an outstanding child support obligation to the State of California. The CEO wrote in the letter that while the ASTCA Board initially intended this career service position to be in lieu of severance, Leota later requested payment of his original severance amount of $135,000 to satisfy the outstanding URESA child support obligation.
Folasaitu’s letter to the court said Leota noted that his initial decision to forego the severance pay was made under the pressure and haste of the leadership transition. She said the matter was raised with the ASTCA Board in a meeting in September last year and at the time the Board requested further internal discussion on the matter. Thereafter Leota met with the Governor on November 13, 2025 and she (Folasaitu) subsequently met with the Governor in person on or about November 17. 2025 to discuss Leota’s request. She said the Governor requested support for the payout, acknowledging the circumstances under which Mr Leota resigned as CEO.
Folasaita said at yesterday’s hearing her words to the Governor were, ‘I will not do this because of you have instructed me, but because it is the law”. The documents which were provided to the court stated that the remaining balance of the $135,000 severance will be forfeited.
Asked why the check wasn’t issued to Leota and have him take care of the child support payment, the CEO said the intention was to ensure financial transparency and provide a record of the transaction and prevent any speculation of impropriety.
