Indicted woman had claimed
Pat Omandam
to be Abigail Kawananakoa
Star-BulletinA Hawaii native has been charged in Philadelphia with stealing more than $34,000 from the federal government by claiming she was Abigail K. Kawananakoa.
Howard L. Perzan, assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, said today that Charlotte Veronica Roberts, 56, who was born Charlotte Veronica Kuheana in Honolulu, was indicted on federal charges of six counts of mail fraud, 11 counts of money laundering and one count of making a false statement.
Perzan said Roberts surrendered to federal authorities today in Philadelphia. She was released on $10,000 bond.
Perzan said Roberts allegedly represented herself as Abigail K. Kawananakoa Roberts, the lawful heir or legal representative of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate.
He said the Chester, Penn., resident allegedly received $34,360.65 in the form of U.S. treasury checks by falsely representing she was an heir to Bishop Estate and a legal representative of Kamehameha Schools. Roberts allegedly cashed 11 U.S. treasury checks in 1994 and used the money to open a bank account under the company Bernice Pauahi State and Trust Co. She is accused of using the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate employee identification number and taxpayer identification number to withdraw money from that account and to cash checks, Perzan said.
According to the federal indictment, Roberts applied for a Social Security card under the name of Kawananakoa in 1994. She then filed several IRS forms between 1994 and 1999 in an attempt to obtain more than $34,000 in tax refunds due to an educational trust in Hawaii.
Roberts' attorney, Edson Bostic of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, declined comment.
No trial date has been set. If found guilty, Roberts faces a total of 255 years imprisonment and a $7.2 million fine, five years supervised release and a $1,800 special assessment that goes to the victims-and-witnesses fund established by Congress, Perzan said. Also, she faces full restitution of the money she allegedly stole.
Kawananakoa is an heir of Campbell Estate and former president of the Friends of Iolani Palace. Her lineage can be traced to Hawaiian royalty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
