LIHU‘E — Three men facing felony charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and money laundering are scheduled for extradition to Florida tonight. In 5th Circuit Court Tuesday, Darrin Shapiro of Princeville, his father and brother had status hearings on
LIHU‘E — Three men facing felony charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and money laundering are scheduled for extradition to Florida tonight.
In 5th Circuit Court Tuesday, Darrin Shapiro of Princeville, his father and brother had status hearings on their extradition proceedings that were held Feb. 7. It was to confirm whether or not the men had been taken to Florida yet, or — if not— to reconsider their detention.
At the time the status hearing was scheduled, the extradition could only be approximately confirmed to occur by Feb. 25, according to County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tracy Murakami. She could only relay a message that an extradition team was scheduled to be on Kaua‘i by Feb. 24.
On Tuesday, Murakami said Florida agents are presently on Kaua‘i, but that union rules require rest periods after flights. The three suspects will be transferred to Florida custody at 5 p.m. today, and then be on a 9 p.m. flight to Florida, she added.
Chief Judge Randal Valenciano, speaking to Darrin Shapiro, 38, the former Florida pain medicine clinic owner, said the defendant has been in custody since Feb. 2, and that a 30-day hold for Florida was not acceptable.
Valenciano scheduled another hearing for Thursday morning if the Shapiros had not been exstradited by then.
The two other Shapiros, Jarrett, 42, his brother from Kalaheo, and his father, Lewis Ray Shapiro, 65, of Princeville, appeared before Judge Kathleen Watanabe at a separate hearing Tuesday.
Watanabe also ordered a status hearing for Thursday morning for them.
State public defender Stephanie Sato represented the three in both courts only on the extradition issue.
Their arrests on Kaua‘i followed a 14-month investigation by Florida state police, which included a raid of Lewis Shapiro’s Florida home and the discovery of $985,000 in cash.
Last June, police and federal agents also raided two of the Shapiros’ three Florida pain clinics.
At the scene of the raid of the Pain Relief Orlando clinic, a state special investigations officer told media it was probably the worst “pill mill” in the state.
At the time of the Florida raids, the Shapiros had already relocated to Kaua‘i, where they opened the island’s only opioid-prescribing and marijuana card-issuing clinic.
The clinic closed in January.
