5 arrests tied to theft, fraud probe at Honolulu airport

At least five former and current state Department of Transportation workers assigned to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport have been arrested in connection with a long-running felony theft, conspiracy and procurement fraud probe conducted by investigators with the state Department of the Attorney General.

The first arrests appear to have occurred shortly after April 8, 2021, when investigators executed a search warrant at the airport’s Maintenance Section Airfield and Grounds Maintenance Unit Facility, also known as the base yard. The facility is operated by DOT’s Airport Division. Two workers with job titles “auto mechanic supervisor II” and “general construction &maintenance supervisor,” respectively, were arrested, according to the Attorney General’s Office and a booking log maintained at the airport by state sheriff’s deputies.

Both are no longer employed by the DOT; the auto mechanic supervisor departed in July, and the other supervisor separated in November.

Arrested next, on April 9, 2021, was an employee with the job title “automotive mechanic helper I,” followed by the arrest of a “purchasing technician I” on Nov. 9. Both are still employed by DOT.

The most recent arrest in the case occurred March 10 when an employee with the title “engineer III” was arrested. None of the five people — all arrested on suspicion of second-degree theft — have been charged. Second-degree theft is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Deputy Attorney General James W. Walther told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Tuesday the arrest tally pulled from airport booking logs is the most current. The Attorney General’s Office did not reply to Star-Advertiser questions about how long the investigation has been underway and whether any of the other 14 airports under state control are also tied to investigation of theft and procurement fraud violations. “There is no further information we are able to share with you at this time,” said Walther in a statement.

The Transportation Department declined to comment on the investigation, citing the matter as a personnel issue, according to a spokesperson.

“The DOT has three divisions and does discipline employees for misconduct, performance, or other reasons. In a general response, the DOT has disciplined employees for misconduct since January 2021 on all islands and all three divisions,” Jai Cunningham, public information officer for the Department of Trans‑ portation, told the Star- Advertiser.

Due to privacy reasons and appeals to issued discipline decisions being at “various stages of administrative processes,” Cunningham said, the DOT cannot release the names of employees until cases are settled by way of arbitration or a merit appeals board decision.

Davis Yogi took over as the DOT’s airports administrator earlier this year, filling a position that had been vacant for 19 years. “The administrator’s position was eliminated by the Legislature, and the DOT repurposed a vacant position to restore the position of the administrator, effective July 1,” Cunningham said. Previously, Yogi had served as the administrator, addressing post-9/11 security and other issues.

In regard to the ongoing investigation, the FBI is poised to assist “if we receive a request from our partners,” special agent in charge of the FBI’s Honolulu division, Steven Merrill, told the Star-Advertiser. He added, “However, our law enforcement partners often have the resources and specialized skills they need to investigate a matter and do not involve the FBI unless they develop information to suggest a violation of federal law.”