Tag: Hawaii
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…
Marvin Cooper, Ponzi Scheme, Hawaii 2009
HONOLULU, HI – February 19, 2009 – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced charges against Marvin Cooper of Honolulu, Hawaii, alleging he operated a $4.4 million Ponzi scheme targeting over 125 Deaf individuals in the United States and Japan. Cooper, along with his company Billion Coupons, Inc. (BCI), is accused of misappropriating…
Stuart W. Jones, Forex Fraud, Hawaii 2009
Stuart W. Jones, Payton Lowe, and their company WeCorp, Inc. are facing charges of defrauding over 20 investors out of approximately $1.5 million, according to a complaint filed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The case, filed on April 9, 2009, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, alleges a…
Patrick Rakotonanahary, Forex Ponzi Scheme, Hawaii 2010
Patrick Rakotonanahary, of Punta Gorda, Florida, was arrested on March 15, 2010, and faces both federal and state charges related to a multi-million dollar foreign currency (forex) Ponzi scheme, according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The charges were announced following a joint investigation with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District…
Marvin Cooper, Forex Ponzi Scheme, Hawaii 2010
Honolulu, HI – Marvin Cooper has been ordered to pay over $6.2 million in penalties and restitution after being found liable for operating a $4 million Ponzi scheme targeting deaf individuals, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced on September 2, 2010. Cooper, along with his company Billion Coupons, Inc. (BCI), defrauded more than…
