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The son of a soldier who served in the heavily decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II was sentenced to one year in prison for cashing government disability checks sent to his dead father.
Charles T. Takahashi, 62, of Maui was also ordered to pay restitution of $202,652.
Takahashi was told that after serving his time in federal prison, his Social Security payments could be partially garnished to repay the government.
Takahashi’s father, Suguru A. Takahashi, died on March 2, 2006, at age 85.
Charles Takahashi failed to inform the federal government about his father’s death and used the disability payments, which were deposited into a joint account, for more than six years. U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright, who imposed the sentence Monday, ordered Takahashi to turn himself in to federal authorities to begin his sentence on May 7.
Seabright said Takahashi knowingly embezzled the money and used it to support his lifestyle, including going to bars.
“Given the length of time this was going on … in my view is an aggravating circumstance,” Seabright said.
