Hawai‘i Island police investigate fake email inviting houseless individuals to mayor’s home

Authorities are investigating a fake email that invites individuals experiencing homelessness to stay at Hawai‘i County Mayor Mitch Roth’s home in East Hawai‘i.

The email falsely invites houseless individuals to stay at Roth’s home for a five-day sleepover starting on Wednesday.

Sent to Habitat for Humanity Hawai‘i Island’s general email inbox, the email stated: “We are hosting a special event for the houseless. A stay over from Aug. 14th to Aug. 18th and breakfest and lunch and dinner. All homeless are welcome for a 5 night stay in and around the house. Bring all your friends & tents and no need to knock. The house is yours for 5 days. Please shower in the house when you arrive.”

The email sender was Mik011nr369@gmail.com.

According to Hawai‘i Island police chief Ben Moszkowicz there was a similar message forwarded to police that was circulated on social media.

“It’s troubling someone would think to do this,” Moszkowicz said, adding the police department takes the mayor’s safety seriously.

Officers have been dispatched to the mayor’s residence as a precautionary measure. The email is being investigated.

Roth said the email is “kind of disturbing.”

While he’s not too worried about the email, Roth said it puts a target on his wife and his kids who visit his home.

“It goes beyond any decency and doesn’t represent our island,” Roth said, adding that public servants, whether in office or running, shouldn’t have to deal with this.

Roth is currently running for re-election and will go up against Kimo Alameda in the general election on Nov. 5. The mayor said he doesn’t know what the impetus was for the email but “being in election season, people do stupid things.”

“My job is to serve the public,” the mayor said. “People may not be happy with every decision you make but you shouldn’t target them or their families.”

Roth, who was elected as mayor in 2020, has worked to address housing and homelessness in his first four years. While he’s gotten praise for increasing the amount of affordable homes, Roth said he’s also gotten his fair share of criticism.

“The criticism is how long it takes the government to get things done, but people in the know are amazed at how quickly we’ve gotten things done in four years,” Roth said, adding he’s also been criticized for enforcing park rules when houseless individuals camping in Hawai‘i County parks are forced to leave.

Overall, Roth said there has been progress in addressing housing and homelessness. He noted the 28% drop in homelessness, according to the Homeless Point in Time Count – a federally mandated census that counts anyone who slept on the street, in a car, or in other areas.

According to the count, homelessness decreased from 1,003 persons in 2023 to 718 in 2024.

During his State of the County address, Roth highlighted the increased affordable housing pipeline from 1,200 to over 8,100 homes.