Disbarred Honolulu attorney Robert Chapman is back in court, pleading not guilty to a fresh set of felony charges that prosecutors say are tied to a widening estate fraud case involving a deceased person’s money.
New Charges, Arraignment and Plea
Chapman appeared in First Circuit Court on Monday, where he was arraigned on newly filed felony counts that accuse him of using forged documents to pull $40,000 from a dead person’s estate. The Hawaii Attorney General’s Office has charged him with first-degree theft and second-degree forgery in connection with the allegation, saying the investigation was developed with help from the Department of Law Enforcement.
The new counts are being handled by the Attorney General’s Criminal Justice Division, which is also prosecuting an earlier, separate case against Chapman. Trial on the latest charges is currently set for Aug. 17, while a separate 22-count indictment from 2025 is still scheduled for Oct. 26, according to Hawaii News Now.
In a statement quoted by the outlet, Attorney General Anne Lopez said, “These charges reflect our continued commitment to protecting estates, beneficiaries, and charitable organizations from fraud and financial exploitation.”
Allegations From the Earlier Indictment
The latest filing stacks on top of a 22-count grand jury indictment returned in June 2025 that accuses Chapman of running a years-long scheme centered on a forged will. Prosecutors say that scheme was designed to divert roughly $750,000 that was supposed to go to three charities, according to a June 24, 2025 news release from the Department of the Attorney General.
Reporting and court records reviewed by Civil Beat connect at least one count in that indictment to the sale of a Nuuanu Brookside condominium. Prosecutors allege that deal funneled about $362,566 from the estate into an LLC controlled by Chapman.
The indictment also claims Chapman accessed confidential personal information and used forged documents to obtain informal probate approval and move estate assets into his control.
Disbarment and Professional History
Chapman has not held a law license for several years. He resigned in lieu of discipline and was disbarred in December 2022 after the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court accepted findings that he tried to claim more than $2 million in abandoned property, according to a December 2022 press release from the Office of Disciplinary Counsel.
That professional history, along with civil lawsuits and confidential settlements reported previously, has been cited in court filings and media coverage as context for the current criminal allegations. Chapman has pleaded not guilty in the criminal cases and is presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise.
What Comes Next in Court
Both the new charges and the earlier 22-count indictment are being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Criminal Justice Division. Prosecutors say Chapman could face decades in prison if he is convicted.
The Aug. 17 trial date applies to the latest allegations, while the 2025 grand jury case remains on the calendar for Oct. 26, as reported by Hawaii News Now.
Court calendars in complex financial cases are rarely set in stone. Dates can shift as motions, discovery and pretrial disputes play out. The formal next steps in both matters will be reflected in public filings with the First Circuit.
