Charges allege
misuse of $2M

A Maui man faces 21 felony counts in
Utah for also allegedly not paying state taxes

WAILUKU >> A Maui resident has been charged in Utah with 21 felony counts, including theft, money laundering and failure to file state taxes for two years.

Guy B. Hatch, 50, of Lahaina, is accused of using commercial development funds for personal use from the end of 2000 to mid-2001, Deputy Utah County Attorney Timothy Taylor said Wednesday.

Taylor said the alleged crime involved $2 million in investment money.

Hatch, who is free on his own recognizance after appearing voluntarily in Utah's 4th District Court, is scheduled to have a hearing Jan. 18 before Judge Steven Hansen to determine whether he wants a preliminary hearing.

Hatch, who has a real estate license, said he has been a Hawaii resident for about three years and that the charges stem from a disgruntled business partner, after a commercial property development suffered in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

He said the business had several accounts and that there may have been an inadvertent mistake but nothing intentional.

Hatch said he was cooperating with Utah officials regarding his taxes and had no intention of not responding to them.

He received his Hawaii real estate license on Aug. 26, 2002, and has had no complaints filed against him, according to a state regulatory official.