Husband of former FBI tech admits to conspiracy over ‘ice’

The spouse of a former FBI technician has admitted to conspiring with others to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams, or 1.1 pounds, of methamphetamine.

Eric "Babu" Moniz, 35, of Waialua pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to the charge, punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison.

Moniz was one of 23 individuals indicted by a federal grand jury in April after an internal FBI investigation. The FBI began surveillance of employee Charmaine Moniz, wife of Eric Moniz, and her activities at work. They discovered she had been accessing a confidential database and reviewing documents relating to her husband's longtime friend Damien Kalei Hina, an alleged drug dealer in Waialua, as well as Jonathan Kimo Luna and Jess Lundgren.

Charmaine Moniz pleaded guilty earlier in federal court to accessing the FBI's database to obtain information about active investigations involving her husband's associates and warning her husband to stay away from them. She is awaiting sentencing.

Three police officers, including Bryson Apo, who also pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy, were among the people indicted in April.

In a plea agreement filed in court yesterday, Eric Moniz admitted that from 2002 until 2004, he agreed to hold "pound quantities" of methamphetamine for Hina.

He also admitted that during the same period he occasionally received lesser quantities of methamphetamine that he distributed to others, and also held onto Hina's drug proceeds.

In exchange for Moniz's plea and his willingness to cooperate and testify against others if asked, the government is expected to dismiss a drug possession charge against him that is contained in a second indictment, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Florence Nakakuni.

Moniz will be sentenced Aug. 6.