Nothing can hold you back! Yet allergies keep Hee free
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Al Hee
The message we send to young people is that their health challenges need not limit them.
Kids who are allergic to bee stings can still go to summer camp.
Kids who have diabetes can still participate in rigorous high school sports.
Gosh, the latest is that kids with uku don’t have to stay home from school.
Just as long as you’re not actively bleeding or in some state of critical distress, society encourages you to put on a Band-Aid and a good attitude and go do your thing.
That goes for adults as well. There’s a television commercial that depicts a patient riding his bike to his regular cancer treatment. Ads for pharmaceuticals that treat conditions like osteoarthritis, bladder leakage and chronic constipation show smiling silver-haired hotties swing-dancing under starry strings of lights.
But Al Hee can’t serve his prison time because he has food allergies?
Oh, come on.
A year ago Hee was found guilty of filing false income tax returns for the years 2007-2012, having his telecommunications company pay millions of dollars of his family’s expenses and not claiming that as income. He was also convicted for impeding the IRS investigation.
Hee’s defense was that he didn’t know that was a problem and the IRS never told him.
His sentencing, which came six months after the verdict, was 46 months in prison plus a $10,000 fine and an order to pay $431,793 in back taxes.
Since then Hee has made various attempts to delay his prison time. The food allergy business and the complaint that he can’t have an EpiPen in prison were the latest.
Hee’s case looms large for several reasons. He was a friend to the old-guard Democrats, and among the 200 pages of letters in support of his character are signatures of friends in high places. But also, the audacity of his actions raises what he did to punchline levels. Hee once told a reporter that his salary at Waimana Enterprises was a dollar a year. That was back in 2001. By 2007 he was paying for his three kids’ college tuition, buying jewelry for his wife, putting relatives on the payroll and getting massages twice a week charged to his company, which was kept afloat only through federal subsidies. Yes, he managed to get cellphone and internet service to off-the-grid Hawaiian homelands, but he used millions of federal dollars meant for that service to serve himself.
Hee is supposed to report to the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minn., by today. We’ll see whether that actually happens. It should. The prison is a 12-minute drive away from the Mayo Clinic, according to Google Maps, and the facilities have a working relationship. The Rochester prison is where televangelist Jim Bakker served his time. Also, Al Taubman, former head of Sotheby’s auction house, was in prison there for fixing art prices. Taubman’s cellmates were, according to the New York Post, a pilot and a dentist.
Sounds deluxe.
Grab some Claritin, avoid the shrimp scampi and get going.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@taradvertiser.com.
37 responses to “Nothing can hold you back! Yet allergies keep Hee free”
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I wonder if he has the same attorneys that represented Pfluger? But, he was not allergic to tainted money!!!!
Honda should have taken Pfluger’s car dealership away instead of letting him change the dealership’s name.
The favorite “lunch” in the pen is a bologna sandwich on white bread. The bologna is preserved with sodium nitrate, which gives you a terrible migraine if you have the tyramine sensitivity. Just saying in defense of those with this allergy, not in defense of indefensible Hee and his chums.
Apparently Hee has never developed any allergies to greed, stealing, and lying.
He’s seems so arrogant. Hee and his family should all be in jail but they sit there smugly thinking they did nothing wrong. 46 months is a small price to pay for the millions he stole.
Check in time.
If Hee does not show up, the U.S. Marshalls will go get him.
Right-on Ms.Cataluna !!!!!
I would like to know the names of those “political idiots” that wrote letters in support of his character. According to this article, many people in high political offices wrote letters describing his positive character…geezus, there were over 200 letters supporting his character and I’m sure many people, besides myself, would be interested in knowing some or all of the people that wrote those character letters. I can almost be assured that many of those references supporting Hee were people that benefited from his money enterprise and since this is an election year, I would think the voters have the right to know who these people were so they can make accurate decisions when they go to the polls and cast their votes or is the SA one of those that benefited from Hee’s generosity, also. Oh, well….this is Hawaii……..
I remember one was a retired judge who was also on the weed committee that help decide who would get exclusive licenses to legally grow and distribute weed in Hawaii. Ms. Cataluna might want to list the name of all of the big wigs or family members who wrote a letter to the judge presiding over Hee’s case to give Hee only probation and no jail time.
Brickwood Galuteria was one of the more prominent figures. If you want to catch his dog and pony show, check out Asahi Grill on Saturday mornings. He’s always there holding court with his minions and probably picking up the tab with our tax dollars.
Birds of a feather flock together. The supporters must have similar ethical standards.
i’m not a fond reader of your column but this was good……….
Great article. Can’t believe this is actually going on. Don’t hear any of this kind of stuff regarding any of our fellow peasants who are in jail now do we. WHY him then?
What a disappointment. As Don Ho used to say, ” eh Brah, man up. It’s time to face the music”!
Put the crook in jail. He is slime.
I don’t always agree with Lee’s columns, but this time she’s not afraid to say what the rest of us are thinking!
Put him in jail. Let the prison Doctors deal with it!
It will be a short stay–Hee will be on Obama’s long list of felons who contributed to his and the Democratic cause–check Clinton’s list!!!!
Another of the many Hawaiian’s stealing from Hawaiian’s.
What is Hee allergic to? I’m sure a special diet can be arranged for him. LOL!
Just feed him bread and water and hee (pun intended) should be fine.
Hee is allergic to prison. It’s a terrible affliction with no known cure once a bad person is going to be sent there.
And how much were Hee and his family ordered to pay in restitution for stealing from everybody else?
“He was a friend to the old-guard Democrats, and among the 200 pages of letters in support of his character are signatures of friends in high places.” It would be interesting to know who these supporters are and if they’re running for re-election. Brickwood Galuteria was one mentioned in a previous article. IMHO he lost all credibility by supporting his “friend.”
Way to go lee cataluna…just telling it like it is.
Well said Lee, well said.
Old guard #1: Dan Inouye
The Feds should audit those organizations and non profits who have been receiving large amounts of funding or many years of funding. Beyond Hee there are others who have lived off money for personal expenses “On Land and On Sea” ……. Be it a communication or voyaging mission –
His future cellmate could be Billy Kenoi.
Maybe they could give each other daily back rubs since appointments with Hee’s massage therapist or visits to Club Evergreen are not an option in Federal prison.
By the time they get around to (hopefully) sentencing Billy, Hee should have exhausted all his allergy excuses.
More democratic coverup. What do you expect from a one-party system. The other party isn’t perfect either but at least it gives us regular citizens a hope that there would be some back and forth dialogue instead of our politicians rubber stamping everything since there is no accountability.
Looks like Hee will be in good company, all a bunch of crooks.
Remember being introduced to Lee’s column when I read of a …..”The Tita’s bracelet big as a tuna can!” It was funny! Thereafter, her articles were fun and good natured just like the average locals kidding around with no big thing and not having to zero in on any particular person. Just laughing at ourselves. Fast forward ……nothing funny about people guilty of some criminal activities nor of their illnesses….seem this type of humor is lost to me or Ms Cataluna’s magical humorous commentaries have somehow faded into oblivion.
I like Lee Cataluna. I am glad they brought her column back. Yes, she had funny stories, but her satire is spot on. She’s not afraid to say what we are all thinking.
maybe he is allergic to jail but not to stealing money.