Former Honolulu Police Department Officer Pleads Guilty To Honest Services Wire Fraud

News Release from US DoJ, Hawaii District, July 18, 2017

HONOLULU – Maulia LaBarre, age 35, of Honolulu, Hawaii, pled guilty yesterday in federal court to one count of honest services wire fraud. LaBarre was formerly employed as a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department (HPD).

Elliot Enoki, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said that according to court documents and information presented in court, LaBarre was employed as a police officer for HPD and, as such, had a duty of honesty and loyalty to the citizens of the City and County of Honolulu and the HPD to act in the public’s interest and not for his own illicit enrichment. LaBarre admitted during the plea hearing that he secretly used his official position to enrich himself by soliciting and agreeing to accept sex from an individual (described as Individual A in the Indictment) in exchange for a promise of providing Individual A with favorable official action in a pending criminal case involving prostitution charges. More specifically, LaBarre admitted that he agreed with Individual A that, in exchange for sex, he would arrange to have Individual A’s arresting officer not appear at court in her pending criminal case.

LaBarre will be sentenced on October 23, 2017, by United States District Judge Susan Oki Mollway, and will face a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.

The case was the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Investigations Division of the Department of the Attorney General for the State of Hawaii. Homeland Security Investigations also provided assistance during the joint investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nammar.

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