Plea cancels Kamehameha trial
A former clerk with the Kamehameha Schools has pleaded no contest to stealing more than $21,000 from her employer.
Cynthia Uyeda, 34, formerly of the Big Island, entered her plea yesterday before acting Circuit Judge William Cardwell the day before her trial was to start for first-degree theft.
According to prosecutors, Uyeda was working in the summer school office between July and October 2003 when she obtained unauthorized refunds using a terminal that processes credit card transactions.
According to the evidence, Uyeda on 43 separate transactions swiped her debit card and credited various amounts to her personal bank and credit union accounts, said Deputy Prosecutor Chris Van Marter.
Bank officials discovered the numerous credit refunds and alerted Kamehameha Schools about the suspicious activity. Officials were able to pinpoint which terminal was used to process the refunds and which accounts the money was going to, Van Marter said.
Uyeda's attorney declined comment. During the proceedings, the defense agreed with the state's evidence as the factual basis for her plea.
According to court records, Uyeda told police she believed that a former boyfriend hacked into Bank of Hawaii's banking network, transferred the money to her personal bank accounts and withdrew the money without her knowledge after taking her bank cards. She claimed that her ex-boyfriend had bragged about his ability to hack into computers and bank computer networks and that it was possible that he stole the money and not her.
Uyeda will be sentenced Nov. 13. She faces a maximum 10-year prison term and/or a $25,000 fine.