Tag: Hawaii
Phoebe Trinh, Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Relief Program Fraud, Hawaii 2020
⏱ 2 min read Phoebe Trinh, a 33-year-old woman from Kapolei, Hawaii, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud the government of unemployment insurance and pandemic relief program funds. Between May 19, 2020, and October 20, 2020, Trinh submitted false claims for unemployment insurance benefits, including claims…
Dakota Ianniello, Fentanyl Trafficking, Wisconsin 2026
⏱ 2 min read Dakota Ianniello, a 55-year-old former Kauai resident, was busted for trafficking fentanyl in Hawaii. On May 23, 2025, law enforcement seized approximately 81.5 grams of fentanyl from Ianniello’s vehicle. The suspect was arrested on July 21, 2026, in the Western District of Wisconsin and later admitted to distributing the deadly opioid…
Bernadette Acaso, Alien Voting, Hawaii 2024
⏱ 2 min read Bernadette Acaso, a 19-year-old Filipino national, is accused of casting a mail-in ballot in the 2024 general election in Hawaii despite not being a US citizen. Acaso, who resides in Honolulu and Kahului, allegedly voted as a Lawful Permanent Resident, which does not grant her voting rights. The incident occurred in…
Kalana Limkin, Child Pornography Possession, Hawaii 2025
⏱ 2 min read Kalana Limkin, 20, of Hilo, Hawaii, was the mastermind behind the online violent extremist group known as Cultists. On February 13, 2025, Limkin pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography, a charge that was part of a broader pattern of depraved conduct. As the co-founder and leader of Cultists, Limkin used the…
Bryson Couch, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Hawaii 2026
Honolulu, Hawaii – In a significant blow to the state’s drug trade, Bryson Couch, a 42-year-old Honolulu resident, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for his role in a major methamphetamine trafficking operation. According to court records, Couch was introduced to an undercover federal investigator in July 2023, who posed as a large-scale drug…
Gregory Demetrius Bryant Jr., Fraud, Hawaii 2021
Gregory Demetrius Bryant Jr., formerly of Hawaii, is facing charges of fraudulent solicitation, misappropriation of funds, operating an unlawful commodity pool, and failing to register with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The CFTC filed a civil enforcement action against Bryant in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii on September 16, 2021.…
Peter Szatmari, Binary Options Fraud, Hawaii 2020
Peter Szatmari, formerly of Hawaii, has been ordered to pay over $13.8 million for perpetrating a fraudulent binary options scheme, according to a default judgment entered by the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii on September 14, 2020. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) initially filed the enforcement case on October 7, 2019.…
Vaughn Ludwig, Fentanyl Conspiracy, Hawaii 2026
HONOLULU – A Kailua man has been convicted of a federal crime in connection with a fentanyl conspiracy. Vaughn Ludwig, 50, of Kailua, Hawaii, pled guilty on May 28, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Ludwig faces a 10-year mandatory minimum…
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, Harassing an Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, Washington 2026
⏱ 2 min read Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, a 38-year-old man from Washington, was observed and filmed on May 5, 2026, walking along the shoreline in the Lahaina area of Maui, tracking the movements of a Hawaiian monk seal known as Lani. He then picked up a large rock, took aim, and threw it directly at…
Navy Kapeli, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Hawaii 2026
⏱ 2 min read A massive methamphetamine trafficking ring was busted in Hawaii, with ten individuals indicted for their role in the conspiracy. The ring, led by Navy Kapeli and Joshua Militante-Hanamaikai, allegedly shipped large quantities of methamphetamine to the islands. The operation, which also involved the distribution of cocaine and marijuana, was uncovered by…
