#us department of justice
Filipino national with ties to Maui, charged with unlawfully voting as an alien
United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Bernadette Acaso, 19, a Filipino national residing in Honolulu, Oʻahu and Kahului, Maui, was charged by criminal complaint on July 22, 2026, with unlawfully voting as an alien.
Hawaiʻi Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovers more than $617,000 in CVS false claims settlement
Attorney General Anne Lopez today announced that Hawai’i has joined the United States, District of Columbia, and 35 other states in a coordinated settlement with CVS Pharmacy, Inc., resolving allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to the Medicaid program related to the dispensing of insulin pens.
Japan national sentenced to 12 months in prison for conspiring to export firearm components
United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Shota Yamamoto, 29, of Tokyo, Japan, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by United States District Court Judge Micah W.J. Smith to 12 months and one day in prison for conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act by exporting firearm components and tactical accessories to Japan. Yamamoto pled guilty on Jan. 22, 2026.
US Attorney’s Office and FBI crack down on aircraft laser incidents, Maui man awaits sentencing
A Maui man pleaded guilty in federal court on April 15, 2026, to being an accessory after the fact to a laser-pointer assault on a federal pilot. Jesse Kong, 30, faces up to 6 months of imprisonment for that crime, according to the US Department of Justice.
Oʻahu man charged with threatening Michigan governor
US Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Ronald Saville, 48, of Honolulu, was charged by criminal complaint on June 1, 2026, with sending interstate communications containing threats.
State prevails in federal lawsuit that had sought to block Hawaiʻi’s claims against major fossil fuel companies
The state of Hawaiʻi today secured a significant legal victory in federal court, with the US District Court for the District of Hawaiʻi issuing an order dismissing a lawsuit filed by the United States, that sought to stop Hawaiʻi’s separate lawsuit filed in state court against major fossil fuel companies.
Maui man pleads guilty to wire fraud for using a false Merchant Marine credential
Jeffrey Worthen, 61, of Lahaina, Maui, pled guilty Tuesday in federal court to wire fraud and making a false statement to the US Coast Guard. Sentencing is set for June 15, 2026.
Suspect in Ha‘ikū break-ins indicted on federal drug charges
A federal indictment has charged 36-year-old German Zboron with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, the US Department of Justice announced Friday as part of the results of a nationwide crackdown on child sex predators. The charges against Zboron, who was recently arrested in connection with a series of residential break-ins in Ha‘ikū, […]
Guam man sentenced for flying drone over military installation
On Feb. 1, 2025, Cao Cruz uploaded a video to his YouTube channel, “Planet Guam,” which depicted sensitive footage of a military installation in Guam. The video garnered close to 12,000 views before being taken down.
Bill to ban algorithmic price-setting in Hawaiʻi’s rental market moves ahead in Senate
A bill aimed at protecting Hawaiʻi renters from algorithmic price-setting has cleared the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, which has recommended passage on second reading and referral to the Judiciary and Ways and Means committees.
Maui man sentenced to 12 years for trafficking fentanyl, resulting in death
United States Attorney Clare E. Connors announced that Jose Elias Camacho, 34, of Maui, was sentenced Monday by US District Judge Susan Oki Mollway to 144 months in prison for trafficking in fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death.
Target of Justice Department’s rental price fixing lawsuit registers as a Hawaiʻi business
RealPage Inc. registered as a business with the Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs on Sept. 11, 2024, or 19 days after the US Department of Justice announced an antitrust lawsuit against the property management software company headquartered in Richardson, Texas.
New Deputy Director for Correctional Institutions appointed in Hawai’i
The Hawai’i Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced the appointment of the new Deputy Director for Correctional Institutions, Pamela Sturz.
Justice Department: Two Maui men found guilty of hate crimes for racially motivated attack in Kahakuloa
After a two-week jury trial, a federal jury today found Defendants Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi, 32, and Levi Aki, Jr., 33, each guilty of a hate crime for what prosecutors described as “racially motivated attacks” on C.K., a white man, when he attempted to move into the home he had purchased in their Kahakuloa neighborhood.
Following Hirono-led push, DOJ Confirms VA’s legal Authority to provide abortion care
In a Sept. 21 opinion, Christopher H. Schroeder, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, concluded that, “The rule issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs on Reproductive Health Services is a lawful exercise of VA’s authority.”
MAILE AMBER Alerts used for only second time in Hawai’i, with two rescued children
For the first time in 17 years, wireless phones across the State of Hawaiʻi received the unfamiliar siren sounds and buzzing of MAILE AMBER alerts, detailing an abduction of a teen on the Big Island.
Former Honolulu prosecuting attorney indicted in bribery scheme with businessman
In a federal indictment unsealed today, former Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro and Honolulu businessman Dennis Mitsunaga are charged with participating in a bribery scheme.
Former Hawai‘i Public Official Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from AmeriCorps
Stacy Higa, 58, a former public official from Hilo, Hawaiʻi, pleaded guilty today to embezzling more than $38,000 from AmeriCorps and also to offering a bribe in return for grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
US Attorney Kenji M. Price Resigns
US Attorney for the District of Hawaiʻi, Kenji M. Price announced his resignation today.
FBI Investigation Leads to Indictment of Eleven in Hawai‘i for Racketeering, Other Offenses
The racketeering activity allegedly included “acts involving murder, kidnapping, arson and robbery.” The allegations further include “acts relating to murder-for-hire, chemical weapons, extortionate credit transactions, racketeering, interference with commerce through robbery and extortion, drug trafficking, wire fraud, fraud in connection with identification documents, financial institution fraud, the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act, money laundering and obstruction of justice.”