72
A former member of the Kauai Police Commission on Monday admitted running an illegal sports gambling business that his attorney called "small time."
Bradley Chiba said in federal court in Honolulu that he collected bets and paid winnings out of his Kauai home. He said he received wagers via text message and then placed bets on Internet gambling sites.
The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to participating in an illegal gambling business and filing a false tax return. As part of his plea, Chiba must pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service of about $11,000 and will forfeit about $29,000 in gambling proceeds that were seized.
He admitted failing to report income received in the gambling operation when he filed his 2012 income tax return, which stated his adjusted gross income was $99,880.
In February, Chiba resigned from the Kauai Police Commission, which oversees the police department, including appointing and removing the police chief, amid a federal investigation. His letter to the mayor gave no reason for his resignation. A county spokeswoman declined to comment Monday.
Defense attorney Michael Green said after the guilty plea that Chiba got caught in a statewide sweep and has learned a "hard lesson." He characterized the operation as "small time."
Green said Chiba will likely lose his job with the state Department of Public Safety. Department spokeswoman Toni Schwartz said Chiba remained employed as an administrator for the Kauai Intake Services Center pending the court proceedings.
Chiba is free on $25,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2. He faces up to five years in prison for the gambling count and up to 3 years for filing a false tax return.
