Former top A former employee of the year at the Department of Accounting and General Services leaded guilty today to stealing more than $750,000 in taxpayers' money from multiple state construction projects.
DAGS worker
pleads guilty in
theft scam
Fidel Eviota laundered
state money through
bogus contractorsBy Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.comFidel Eviota II, 52, faces a 10-year prison term under a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to first-degree theft, money laundering and illegal ownership of a business. He has agreed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and testify against others involved.
Eviota, a former engineer who oversaw state construction projects that included the State Capitol and Aloha Stadium renovations, is accused of concocting a scheme from August 1995 to June 1999 in which he persuaded various contractors to pay subcontractors for work that was never performed or for materials that were never used on the state projects.
Eviota allowed several contractors to be repaid through inflated monthly estimates and change orders.
The bogus subcontractors -- Roland's Electronics, Ramon Duran and Jovito Davila were never involved in construction projects in the state, Deputy Attorney General Chris Young said. Roland's was an auto body repair and car stereo installation shop. Duran was Eviota's father-in-law and Davila was a friend and neither had legitimate companies that did work in the construction industry.
Payments made were deposited by Roland or Elna Geyrozaga who kept 9 percent for themselves and turned over 91 percent to Eviota, according to a declaration by Eviota.
As part of the agreement, Eviota has agreed to pay restitution of $759,617 and forfeit any real or personal property he obtained with the stolen funds.
Eviota will be placed on supervised release and electronic monitoring pending his sentencing on Oct. 24.
Scott Collins, Eviota's attorney, said Eviota took steps early in the investigation to take full responsibility for his actions. "He had a lapse in judgment and now realizes this is the best course of action."
Young said the state is satisfied with the plea agreement. "We've taken a trusted state employee and we've convicted him of a very serious offense."
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