Police: No Investigation of Judges Underway

The Hawaii Police Department today took an unusual step in denying that an investigation is underway, issuing a statement refuting a claim that five Big Island judges are the subject of a criminal probe over their roles in foreclosure proceedings.

The claim was made in a press release issued Tuesday by Oahu attorney Dexter Kaiama, attorney for Laulima Title Search and Claims, LLC, and its owner, Puna resident Kale Gumapac.

Kaiama’s statement said the judges were being investigated by HPD’s Criminal Investigation Section “for their alleged role in war crimes by denying defendants a fair and regular trial and foreclosure and ejectment proceedings at the court houses in Hilo and Kona.”

The judges named were Circuit Court judges Ronald Ibarra, Greg Nakamura and Glenn Hara; and District Court judges Harry Freitas and Joseph Florendo.

Kaiama claimed that the investigations would be routed to the US Pacific Command, the combined US armed forces headquartered at Camp Smith in Honolulu. He said that is the federal agency responsible “under the War Crimes Act.”

Kaiama also claimed that others are under investigation including banks and their attorneys involved in foreclosure proceedings in Hawaii.

The police department said that is not true.

“The Hawaiʻi Police Department recognizes Mr. Kaiama’s First Amendment right to express his beliefs regarding Hawaiian sovereignty; however, the representations as to the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s involvement in the investigation of alleged war crimes are inaccurate,” said the statement from the office of Chief Harry Kubojiri. “The police department is conducting no such investigation.”

According to Laulima’s website, Gumapac and six others facing foreclosure – all clients of Laulima – are “victims of the alleged felony war crimes.”

The company claims that all titles in Hawaii issued after the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom are defective because the deeds “were notarized and registered in the Bureau of Conveyances by insurgents calling themselves government officials.”