Illegal game room assets in Kalihi turned over to state

More than $63,000 and assets of other equipment that Honolulu police acquired in an illegal game room bust Thursday will go to the state.

City officials said Tuesday that the Honolulu Prosecutor filed an administrative petition for asset forfeiture with the state Attorney General’s Office to forfeit the cash to the state as the proceeds of crime.

Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said “this is a win for our community.”

“Asset forfeiture is an important law enforcement tool. It immediately stops the illegal activity, takes the profit out of crime, and supports future law enforcement operations to stop criminal conduct,” Alm said in a statement.

Alm pointed to the importance of House Bill 126 that’s currently awaiting the governor’s signature.

According to the press release from the prosecutor’s office, “House Bill 126 would require prosecutors to file charges against the owner of the property seized in order to authorize asset forfeiture. The owner of cash or equipment that is used in an illegal business operation may never be identified. Under House Bill 126, prosecutors could not have sought to have this cash forfeit to the State of Hawai‘i because the owner is unknown. One goal of asset forfeiture laws is to deny criminals —known or unknown— the profits of their crimes and repurpose those profits to fight those crimes. Asset forfeiture is an important tool to provide resources to combat Illegal game rooms that bring violence to our community.”

“No one should be allowed to profit from crime,” Alm said in a statement.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gabriel Huntington is handling the case, according to the news release.