Blunder leaves much to wonder about

Can $200,000 disappear into thin air? Seems unlikely, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next in the University of Hawaii’s infamous "Wonder Blunder."

Sean Barriero of Miami, charged in connection with the swindle that siphoned away that money for a bogus Stevie Wonder fundraiser, has been told he could be on the hook for the full amount. But his only asset is a 2010 Mercedes SUV. More could be recovered from Marc Hubbard. The 44-year-old North Carolinian was indicted along with Barriero on federal charges.

Of course, the whole botched job is going to cost UH so much more than the Wonder loss itself. Getting it all back won’t even pay for a year of Jim Donovan’s new communications gig. Who would ever have thought $200,000 would seem like chump change? But it does. And guess who the chumps are?