News

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that David Borges, 43, of Koloa, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by Senior United States District Judge Helen Gillmor to 352 months’ imprisonment followed by 5 years’ supervised release on his guilty pleas to charges of extortion, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, carrying a firearm during
a drug trafficking crime, and distributing a mixture of fentanyl and cocaine.

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced today that John Floyd, 63, of Mililani, Hawaii, and Nelson Wu, 38, of Waipahu, Hawaii, were indicted yesterday for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and causing another person to make a materially false statement or a material omission in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the government of the United States.

HONOLULU – A federal jury convicted four individuals from Hawaii this week for their roles in a tax refund fraud scheme.

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Jonaven Perkins-Sinapati, 39, of Waianae, Hawaii, was sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Shanlyn A.S. Park to 120 months’ imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessing ammunition as a convicted felon.

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Mason Jordan, 34, of Kailua, Hawaii, was sentenced yesterday to 23 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.

HONOLULU – A former Maui Police Department officer pleaded guilty Friday to one count of using unreasonable force against an arrestee. According to the plea agreement, on Jan. 6, 2024, Carlos Frate, 40, repeatedly tased the arrestee, even though the arrestee was not resisting or posing any threat. Frate admitted that he knew that his force was unjustified, but he nonetheless continued to tase the arrestee despite the arrestee’s pleas for him to stop.

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Dwayne Yuen, a 52-year-old resident of Honolulu, was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 405 months’ imprisonment followed by a lifetime term of supervised release for eleven counts related to child exploitation and harassment offenses. 

HONOLULU – A formerly married couple was sentenced yesterday for their roles in a more than decade-long scheme to defraud hundreds of investors out of millions of dollars in connection with Semisub Inc. (Semisub), a Hawaii-based company. 

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Navor Salas Cruz, 52, of Mexico, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 54 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for illegally reentering and remaining in the United States. 

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Justin Wu, 23, of Waikiki, Hawaii was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Shanlyn A. S. Park to 120 months of imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release for distributing pills containing fentanyl and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced today that Patrick Nowicke, 44, of Wahiawa, Hawaii, was indicted today with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that a foreign citizen overstaying a visitor visa on Oahu was extradited to New Zealand where he is wanted to stand trial for the alleged rape of a twelveyear- old. The man invoked his right to name suppression under New Zealand law and is not being identified by the United States Attorney’s Office.