Woman pleads
guilty in Ewa
fraud case

Shirley Hall will now testify
against defendant Michael Kahapea

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

A woman pleaded guilty today in connection with the Ewa Villages fraud scandal and will testify against Michael Kahapea, who police and prosecutors say is the key defendant in the case.

Shirley Hall pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree theft and failing to report income on her tax return.

Prosecutors say more than $5 million was bilked from the relocation fund of the city's Ewa Villages Revitalization Project. The city was billed and paid for moves that were not done or were done at exorbitant costs.

Hall's husband, Donald Hall Sr., pleaded guilty last year to charges of theft, forgery and money laundering in the Ewa Villages relocation scheme.

Deputy Prosecutor Chris Young said the Halls owned A-1 Trucking and Equipment, and charged the city an estimated total of $571,000 on 16 payment requests. Young said they actually made six moves that would have totaled closer to $250,000.

Kahapea, the city's former property management division chief, is accused of illegally hiring, then paying city funds to friends and relatives for sometimes bogus moves.

Shirley Hall faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for the offenses, Young said.