A Mililani couple who ran the Christian-oriented Teen Challenge have pleaded no contest to a charge that they fraudulently obtained welfare and food stamp benefits from the state. Mililani couple plead
no contest to fraud
By Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.comThe Rev. John Elleson, executive director of the now-defunct Hawaii organization that helped teens recover from drug and alcohol addiction, pleaded no contest to one count of first-degree theft and has asked for a deferral of his plea.
His wife, Suzanne Elleson, pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree theft and was granted a deferral of her no-contest plea for three years.
The state had alleged that Teen Challenge had benefited from welfare funds to which it was not entitled.
The couple accepted responsibility yesterday and agreed to refund more than $49,000 in excess welfare benefits that the organization benefited from, said Earle Partington, attorney for Suzanne Elleson.
"Most of it was a lack of understanding of the welfare laws, and they weren't the greatest of bookkeepers," Partington said.
John Elleson will be sentenced Feb. 9 and is likely to be granted a deferral, he said.
The theft count that the couple pleaded to related to the way their clients in Teen Challenge ate their meals, he said. Under the state's welfare laws, if the teens ate together, they would have been entitled to fewer benefits than had they ate separately. Some of them ate together and it was not reported.
Partington said the remaining five theft charges against the couple were dismissed, in large part because the Ellesons had not profited personally from the money.
State Attorney General Rick Damerville acknowledged Suzanne Elleson was not likely to commit any crimes in the future, and recommended a deferral of her plea but wanted to send a message that people need to follow the law, Partington said.
