Ex-banker ordered to pay $54M

WAILUKU » A $54 million verdict has been returned against a former Chicago-area banker accused of hiding assets to avoid paying a $4 million judgment.

The five-week trial of Clyde Engle ended last week when a Maui jury returned its verdict after deliberating five hours. Engle said he found the verdict “;really surprising.”;

The part-time Maui resident who lives in Lake Forest, Ill., had been ordered to pay the $4 million in connection with a failed retirement community development in Tennessee.

The lawsuit said the plaintiffs were unable to collect because Engle fraudulently transferred a large amount of stock in his bank to his wife.

Engle was chairman of the Bank of Lincolnwood, which regulators shut down June 5.

Big Isle man sues environmentalists

HILO » A Big Island man has sued Malama O Puna, claiming the environmental group is illegally poisoning red mangroves along the coastline.

The suit filed in state court by Sydney Ross Singer last month also names state, county and federal agencies.

Singer alleges Malama O Puna used herbicides at the Wai Opae Marine Life Conservation District in Kapoho to kill about 20 acres of mangrove trees and left them to rot in place.

Malama O Puna President Rene Siracusa has declined to comment, citing advice of legal counsel.

The group's Web site calls mangroves “;aggressive aliens.”;

Singer has waged previous campaigns to protect coqui frogs and strawberry guava. Both are considered invasive threats to Hawaii's flora and fauna.

Humane Society tracking fake vet

The Hawaiian Humane Society is offering a $2,000 reward for tips that lead to the conviction of Pearl City man who allegedly provides veterinary services without formal training.

The man operates his business from his home, performing procedures on pets such as ear docking, spay and neutering, and eye surgery, the Humane Society said in a news release.