Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Feds indict suspect in investment fraud
A federal grand jury indicted a man yesterday who allegedly stole money from three Honolulu retirees by posing as a financial planning consultant.The indictment states that from 1998 to 2003, John Van Lau, also known as "Jimmy Liu," took money given to him by his victims with claims that he would "invest those funds on their behalf in preparation for their retirement needs."
Instead, in two cases, Lau used victims' money to conduct "day trading" of equity securities in various U.S. stock exchanges, the indictment says.
The indictment states that over the five-year period, Lau opened several bank accounts, some of them overseas accounts and others local bank accounts under the name "Jimmy Liu." Prosecutors said Lau transferred his victims' money into these accounts and used them for his own personal benefit, such as his family's rent and utilities.
Lau was also charged with using a false passport under the name "Jimmy Liu" to open up an account at American Savings Bank. The grand jury indicted Lau on 38 counts, including charges of money laundering, false use of a passport, making false statements, aiding and abetting, and wire and mail fraud.
Part of Likelike closing to fix storm damage
The state Department of Transportation will close the Kaneohe-bound lanes of Likelike Highway between Valley View Drive and Kahekili Highway from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow for emergency repairs of storm damage.The work originally was scheduled to begin today, but will be delayed until tomorrow.
Plant repairs will divert garbage to city landfill
The city's garbage-to-energy plant will shut down for three weeks beginning tomorrow for regularly scheduled maintenance.The maintenance work will include an overhaul of HPOWER's steam turbine and will require garbage to be diverted to the city landfill, which will be open an additional two hours a day.
Work on the turbine is performed every five to seven years. The last major turbine overhaul was in 1997.
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[Taking Notice]
>> Emmanuel Udasco, of Honolulu, a senior at Eastern Washington University, received a $350 Biology Memorial Scholarship for outstanding work from the Biology Department. He graduated from Farrington High School in 2000.>> Michael Shapiro, of Honolulu, has received the James Vaughan Award for Poetry at Hawaii Pacific University for three poems to be published this summer in HPU's literary magazine, Hawaii Pacific Review. An honorable-mention award was given to Dan Manzanares, of HPU. His poem will also be published in the review.
>> Jane Chung, of Waipahu, a first-year student at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, toured with the school's orchestra and glee club to southwestern Florida. She plays violin but majors in chemistry and politics.
>> Five La Pietra students have won top awards in the 41st Hawaii Scholastic Art Awards. Asia Mescan won a Gold Key award for her pinhole photograph and will compete in the national contest. Silver key winners were Jackie Mathes, Adrienne Gaines, Arnica Plaskett and Carrie Hieb.
La Pietra 10th-grader Monika Haar also won a $500 scholarship for piano lessons from the Morning Music Club. She was selected by the Kodaly Institute in Hungary for a month-long piano program last summer and was one of two students to perform. She recently won first place in the Mozart Festival 2004, organized by the Oahu Arts Center in Mililani.
>> Tanisha Armstead, of Honolulu, participated in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Law in Washington, D.C., along with approximately 350 outstanding high school students from across the nation.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHONOLULU
Stabbing victim ID'd as Kalihi man
The Honolulu medical examiner's office has identified a man who died after being stabbed at Kalakaua District Park on Feb. 22 as 20-year-old Dionicio Campania Jr., of Kalihi.Campania died Sunday at the Queen's Medical Center.
Police said Campania and five to six of his friends were in the parking lot and met up with a 22-year-old Kalihi man. The man was punched by someone else, and he allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Campania.
The suspect was arrested Sunday on suspicion of second-degree murder.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Hilo man is charged with attempted murder
Big Island police have charged 33-year-old Eric Kauaina Kai, of Hilo, with second-degree attempted murder for allegedly running down another man Sunday morning near Malama Park.Kai is being held in the Hilo police cellblock in lieu of $20,000 bail.
South Hilo patrol officers found a man lying on the ground Sunday morning on Mamaki Street near Malama Park. The victim had injuries to his head and was taken to the Hilo Medical Center, where he is reported in good condition.
Witnesses at the scene told police the victim had earlier been running west on Mamaki Street, then left the road and ran into some heavy brush. The victim then ran back onto the road, when a car heading in the same direction accelerated and struck him from behind, trapping him underneath.
The witnesses said the driver got out and tried to lift the car off the victim. Unable to do so, he got help from the driver of a light-colored pickup truck, which pushed the car off the victim. Both vehicles then sped from the scene.
The victim was later able to identify Kai as the driver of the car that struck him, and Kai turned himself in to police at 2:15 p.m. Sunday.
Detectives are looking for the car used in the incident. It is described as an older-model brown four-door sedan with a lighter-colored brown right rear door. They are asking anyone with information to call Detective Jason Cortez at 961-2381 or the police nonemergency number at 935-3311.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
