A Kailua man accused of stealing nearly $900,000 from people who thought they were investing in a reconstruction project in Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday to mail fraud and 27 counts of wire fraud.

A federal judge told Daniel Patrick Doyle, 54, that he can remain free on a $100,000 signature bond pending trial this summer.

Doyle’s lawyer, Michael Green, said he expects to work out a plea deal with the government within the next few months.

"There were some issues that came up that we expect to resolve shortly. There are some things we agree with. There are some things we disagree with. But in principle, there are some things (Doyle) is guilty of," Green said.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment last month charging Doyle with fraudulently accepting $892,185 from 17 individuals for a housing development in D’Iberville and Jackson, Miss., between October 2007 and January 2010.

Doyle told prospective investors in radio "infomercials" broadcast in California, in radio "podcasts" on the Internet and in seminars presented in California that his company was taking advantage of federal and Mississippi tax and economic incentives to build the project, according to the indictment. He also told them he would refund their money if for any reason the project didn’t get built, including the failure to secure the economic incentives from the state of Mississippi.

The indictment says Doyle continued to accept money from investors even after his application for incentives was rejected and he was told to stop marketing his project.

Instead of refunding his investors, Doyle is accused of using their money on personal and business expenses.