Rural Granite Falls farmers, Richard and Joan Rosetter, made national headlines this week after falling victim to an extraordinary alleged extortion plot said to have been devised and carried out by their son, Lt. Cmdr. David Richard Rosetter, his Samoan wife, Laumatafiafia (Fia), and wife’s sister, Vatauomalao (Tau) Tafaoa.
The article, which appeared in the July 22 edition of the Star Tribune, states that the trio were indicted in April on nine counts of extortion that took place January through June 2007. In all, Richard, Joan and their daughter, LuAnn, Rosetter were said to have been bilked out of $185,000 during this period. All three alleged extortionists have pleaded not guilty.
Details of the events that, “federal court insider are calling one of the oddest made-for-TV-type cases they have ever seen,” were only released when case information was made public last week, said the article.
David Rosetter is a 1988 graduate Granite Falls High School, who went on to become a 17-year naval veteran who was eventually placed in charge of the Military Sealift Command Office at Pearl Harbor. However, since the emergence of the case, the lieutenant has been reassigned to administrative duties.
Citing affidavits, the Star Tribune pegs Fia and Tau as the “masterminds” of the plot, though a federal grand jury also blames David Rosetter for playing an integral role.
The seeds of the bizarre fictional tale were reportedly first planted in January of 2005 when Richard and Joan Rosetter traveled to visit their son who was stationed in San Diego and living with both Fia and Tau. During their stay, the Granite Falls couple was told that Walmart had been conducting surveillance on David Rosetter, Fia and Tau because Walmart had wanted to avoid paying a worker’s compensation claim to Tau who was said to have broken her foot while working for the company.
In September of 2005 the lieutenant got in contact with his sister, LuAnn Rosetter, and added further to the story. Referencing the FBI, the Star Tribune reported that David told his sister that Walmart employees wanted to kill him for helping Tau take Walmart to court over the claims that would have awarded Tau disability for life. He also told her that she may be in life-threatening danger.
Two months later, David and Fia showed up at LuAnn’s home in Rapid City, South Dakota where she was then told that the whole family was being threatened by hit men, known as the “Los Burritos Boys,” who had been hired to kill the family. However, because of Fia and Tau’s Samoan roots, they said they were being protected by the Samoan mafia, the article reported.
David and Fia then allegedly called David’s parents and pushed for them to come to Rapid City because the “Burritos” would be to there to kill them at their home in Granite Falls if they had not left the house in 20 minutes.
For the next year the Rosetter’s were “essentially on the run,” according to the FBI in the article, under the belief that the hit-men were on their tale. At the advice the of David Rosetter, Fia and Tau, LuAnn sold all of her belongings and moved in with her parents while Richard and Joan Rosetter replaced their car and motor home and even altered their physical appearance.
In January 2007, David Rosetter upped the ante when he told his parents that he had crossed the Samoan mafia and that he would be killed in unless he sent money. The article references affidavits that state David Rosetter, Fia and Tau informed Richard and Joan Rosetter that their son had left Fia to be with an exotic dancer from Guam and had also fallen into credit card debt. If he did not repay the debt, the Samoan Mafia would kill him.
From January through June of 2007 the family wired a total of $185,000 to the alleged extortionists before finally contacting authorities.
The Star Tribune reports that FBI Special Agent Michael Dudley confronted the three culprits in January of 2009 with evidence incriminating of the crimes. The trio reportedly admitted to the plot with Fia stating that they needed the money.
A trial date has not been set.
The referenced article, “Bizarre Extortion Tale of the South Pacific” can be found by searching the title on the Star Tribune website.
Granite Falls, Minn. —
