Honolulu Special Agents have apprehended three individuals associated with a large-scale forgery operation, as announced by the Department of the Attorney General. Felix Savoy, also known as Felix Tigilau, was taken in on a $500,000 arrest warrant, facing a litany of charges including three counts of Attempted Theft in the First Degree. Alongside Savoy, Baron Yamabe and January Fanene have also been indicted in relation with the case which involves over $1.5 million in fraudulent checks. Savoy, the alleged ringleader, was apprehended on August 27, while his accomplices were arrested shortly after.
The criminal enterprise, which was operative across several months in 2023, purportedly forged and deposited checks totaling roughly $1.5 million through unauthorized use of account information. Yamabe and Fanene are facing multiple counts of Attempted Theft in the First Degree and Forgery in the Second Degree, with Yamabe arrested on August 29 and Fanene on August 30. In a statement obtained by the Office of the Governor official newsroom, Chief Tom Alipio of the Department's Investigations Division articulated pride in the inter-agency collaboration that led to these arrests.
A fourth suspect, Jon-Joseph C. Rutherford, has also been slapped with charges including Attempted Theft in the First Degree and Forgery in the Second Degree. He is believed to have fled Hawaii. The Class B felonies could land the accused up to 10 years in prison, alongside fines of up to $25,000, while the Class C felonies can result in up to 5 years and fines not exceeding $10,000. Tigilau faces the possibility of an extended sentence due to the gravity of his alleged involvement.
Authorities are reaching out, urging any additional entities who believe they were victims of the fraudulent scheme to come forward. The AG's Investigations Division can be reached at 808-586-1240, ready to take potentially further actionable complaints. With this, investigators hope to comprehensively address and potentially to have uncovered the scope of the criminal activity. The accused are scheduled for arraignment before Judge Ronald G. Johnson on September 3, as per the case State v. Felix Tigilau, et.al. According to the press release, Deputy Attorney General Adrian Dhakhwa will prosecute the case.
