A 34-year-old Hawi woman is charged with embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from a popular Kohala Coast eatery.
A 34-year-old Hawi woman is charged with embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from a popular Kohala Coast eatery.
A Kona grand jury on July 13 indicted Hulali Kahaikupuna with first-degree theft. The document states that between Nov. 1, 2011, and Nov. 12, 2013, Kahaikupuna “as part of one scheme and/or continuing course of conduct, intentionally obtained or exerted control over” more than $20,000 from Guy Lyn Inc., the parent company of Seafood Bar and Grill in Kawaihae.
“She was providing bookkeeping services for the company, and they reported to police,” Deputy Prosecutor Rick Damerville, who brought the case to the grand jury, said Monday.
Damerville said Kahaikupuna isn’t a certified public accountant.
A police spokeswoman said the amount allegedly taken was $87,667.
A bench warrant issued with the indictment set Kahaikupuna’s bail at $25,000.
According to the Seafood Bar and Grill’s website, the establishment opened in 2002 and “quickly became a favorite of both locals and visitors alike.”
Damerville, a retired deputy prosecutor, is working on an 89-day contract. He said the numbers of violent crimes in the past couple of years, including homicides, have kept Prosecutor Mitch Roth’s deputies busy, so he’s been brought in to help handle prosecution of some of the more serious nonviolent crimes, including financial crimes.
“They take a lot of time,” Damerville, said. “That’s one that’s been sitting for awhile. It didn’t happen yesterday. … Those types of cases, there’s a lot of financial pressures (from living) in Hawaii and it’s a much more common problem than people realize.”
Damerville also is prosecuting the case of Greta “Pua” Correa, a real estate agent and the former Big Island Pop Warner Football Conference treasurer who’s scheduled to be sentenced today for embezzling almost $100,000 in league funds.
First-degree theft is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, and Damerville emphasized Kahaikupuna is “presumed innocent until found guilty.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.