Whoever said blood is thicker than water hasn’t met the Princeville man who tried to pin his crimes on his own cousin.
Recently in 5th Circuit Court, a 30-year-old man was sentenced to six months in jail and a one year of probation for forgery and falsification. What is sad about this case is that the man is going to jail for lying to a police officer when he was pulled over for a traffic violation.
Instead of telling the officer his name, the defendant gave the name and identity of his cousin. Then, just over a year later, he tried to pull off the trick again with an officer in another incident.
Judge Kathleen Watanabe wanted the man to understand that the lie disrupted the life of his cousin. Not knowing there was a traffic citation issued in his name, the man never paid the fine and was subsequently picked up by police for missing a court hearing he didn’t know about.
The cousin had to work extensively with police, the courts and the Department of Motor Vehicles to clear his name and make his license valid again. Then he had to clear everything up with his insurance company.
Watanabe said these may be misdemeanor offenses but they are very serious. She sentenced according to the deputy prosecutor’s recommendation of six month’s jail with probation.
The second offense was for a criminal violation in which the defendant tried to pass himself off as his cousin again. That case will be sentenced in Chief Judge Randal Valenciano’s court in the near future.
One thing is for sure. The defendant likely would not have received as severe a sentence had he not wrongfully implicated his cousin for his crimes.
The defendant was aware that it was a crime in the second offense and so the judge was not buying the “I didn’t know” excuse. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Everyone has found themselves in a situation where it would be possible to deflect some responsibility, enjoy some benefit or get away with something at the expense of someone else. The urge to fill in your address as 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is funny but most of us don’t do it because the laugh is short-lived and it is a poor reflection on ourselves even when its not illegal.
False accusations charges are now included as provisions in the cyberbullying laws. Someone making a false assertion against someone in social media may now be breaking the law if it fits within the statute.
The state Legislature is now considering a bill regarding false identities on Internet dating services. The Safety Awareness Notification bill would require online dating services to provide safety awareness notification to Hawai‘i members. It would authorize the state attorney general to prosecute violators.
A minor who provides false information or identity to an officer during a traffic stop could be charged with a petty misdemeanor and wind up in family court. The court could suspend their license in addition to other fines and sentencing.
False reporting comes in many versions, from reporting a crime that didn’t occur, to putting false information on official forms.
A person who signs a document such as a contract, insurance application, legal or government forms for themselves or their businesses, knowing that it contains a false name or information, could also be facing a class C felony violation. That could bring a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine, or up to 18 months jail and probation.
A recent sweep of persons in violation of the state Sex Offender Registry resulted in some prosecutions for false reporting. Most of the violators were charged with failing to report or with not seeking full-time work. However, a few actually provided false addresses and information, which are felony offenses.
• Island Crime Beat is a weekly column that reflects on the current events and issues regarding the police, courts and criminal justice system of Kaua‘i. Tom LaVenture can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or tlaventure@thegardenisland.com.
