LIHU‘E — Members of a Lihu‘e retirement community still don’t know why a former manager swindled the condominium complex for over $50,000. And that’s after the manager, Craig Mukai, was led from Kaua‘i County Courthouse in handcuffs and leg irons.
LIHU‘E — Members of a Lihu‘e retirement community still don’t know why a former manager swindled the condominium complex for over $50,000.
And that’s after the manager, Craig Mukai, was led from Kaua‘i County Courthouse in handcuffs and leg irons.
Mukai, 45, who pleaded guilty to 42 counts of felony theft and three counts of forgery in September, was sentenced yesterday in Fifth Circuit Court to five years in prison and ordered to pay over $50,000 in restitution.
Mukai, who had no previous arrest record, spent five years siphoning money from the condominium complex in a bunch of different ways. He spent thousands of dollars on various gifts, including lavish food and drink for friends, and expensive gifts for himself and his girlfriend.
“He was diligent and conscientious. He’s always been employed,” said his lawyer, Gilbert Kea. “He has a large amount of friends and supporters who stand behind him and support him. He has had no drug, no drinking, no gambling problems.”
But he still stole the money.
“He had such a nonchalant attitude, and failed to express remorse,” said county deputy prosecuting attorney Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho. “The period of fraud was extensive, the amount of loss was significant, and the (types) of fraud were creative.” Even Mukai couldn’t didn’t give an answer for his actions, even though he apologized for them.
“A lot of things I did I have no excuses for,” said Mukai. “I apologize to the residents of Sun Village for my actions and my betrayal.”
His actions have made him lose sleep, he said, and his job is what has kept him going.
“I’m lucky if I get four, five hours of sleep a day,” he said. “I just try to make an honest living and payback what I can.”
“What bothers me most is the lack of morality,” said Circuit Court Judge Clifford L. Nakea before sentencing Mukai. The theft was “for no apparent reason, except to ingratiate you to your friends and to have a comfortable life.
“I think you just did it without (looking at) the consequences,” Nakea continued. “You decided for 45 times to take advantage.” Therefore, Nakea ordered Mukai to pay back the entire amount stolen, including reimbursement of over $49,000 already paid to Sun Village via an insurance company. $3,598 will go directly to Sun Village for unrecovered losses. Since the reimbursement to an insurance company is so unusual, Nakea said he would have to check case law to make sure that Mukai was liable.
Mukai was the manager at Sun Village for around five years, from 1997 to 2002. Over that time, he used a variety of schemes to use Sun Village money for his own gain. Almost on a daily basis, Iseri-Carvalho said, Mukai used Sun Village funds for his own personal gain. He charged expensive items, such as sapphire jewelry, racks of lamb, and a big-screen television to Sun Village accounts. He also wrote checks to fictitious companies and got reimbursement. Sun Village residents were most pleased that Mukai will not be able to do this again. Judge Nakea denied a motion to defer acceptance of Mukai’s guilty plea, which could have had the charge expunged from his record after five years.
“If he could do this to seniors, he could do this to anyone,” said Trudy Blow, a Sun Village resident who watched the proceedings. “The best part, besides the five year (sentence), is that it remains on his record.”
Tom Finnegan, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252)
