HONOLULU — Two Oahu residents were charged last Friday in separate incidents of alleged theft from State of Hawaii accounts.
In the first incident, convicted felon Michael Powers, 48 years old and a Pearl City resident, allegedly wrote 22 forged checks totaling $715,696.92 using bank routing numbers and account numbers belonging to the Hawaii budget and finance department, Attorney General Doug Chin said. Powers was charged Friday with attempted first-degree theft and multiple counts of forgery in the second degree.
In the second incident, Michael K. Mills, 30 years old and a Kapolei resident, allegedly billed the state for more than $35,000 in equipment and supplies that were not related to a state contract with Mills’s employer. Mills was charged Friday with first-degree theft.
“State dollars are your taxpayer dollars. People who cheat the State will be prosecuted,” Chin said.
First-degree theft is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Forgery in the second degree is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000.00 fine.
Bail for each defendant has been set at $5,000 and bench warrants have been issued for their arrests