by Andrew Walden

Lifelong criminal James Akahi August 1 beat a felony burglary rap for his August 15, 2008 Iolani Palace break in. Convicted of simple trespass in Oahu Circuit Court, he was ordered to pay a $1000 fine.

Now underway in before a Honolulu circuit court jury is the second Palace break-in trial. Robert Roggasch, 70, and Donald Alfred Love-Boltz, 74 of Las Vegas, face second degree assault charges. Roggasch, a convicted drug dealer, with three total convictions on his rap sheet, told an interviewer in 2008 he arrived in Maui “22 years ago” and is not Hawaiian.

UPDATE: The defendants were found "not guilty" Friday. 

The two allegedly invaded the Palace in the name of Hawaiian Sovereignty and are on trial for allegedly assaulting Betty Jean Noealani Ah Yuen, the palace facilities manager, by slamming a heavy iron gate against her. In court Thursday, Roggasch said he was unable to even pronounce “Ah Yuen”, instead referring to her as “Number 1.”

A third defendant, Norman Abihai, has not been located by police and there is a warrant out for his arrest. Abihai is a two-time convicted felon—both convictions were for kidnapping.

Like many leading “sovereignty” activists “King” Akahi has a long criminal record. Akahi’s 21 convictions date back to 1961 and include two escapes, burglary, larceny, harassment and numerous lesser crimes. He was in 1962 sentenced to 20 years in the penitentiary for burglary and escape. Akahi’s wife Grace only has three criminal convictions.  Although they were allegedly unable to find the throne room at Iolani where they allegedly intended to chain Akahi to the throne, like so many other convicted criminals, they claim to King and Queen of Hawaii.

An August 2008 news release issued after the Palace takeover by Akahi’s group claims Love-Boltz is a US Federal Marshall, asserts ownership of all land in Hawaii, and  demands "$100 Trillion Dollars under necessity."

But there is more.

In an August, 2008 interview with Maui’s Akaku Public Access TV, Roggasch claims there was no assault. He also explains his belief that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and is therefore ineligible to be President.

Like many “birthers” the Akahi group are “9-11 truthers” as well. An entire page of their www.FreeHawaii.org website is dedicated to arguing the 9-11 attacks were "a time of reckoning" and "our fault".

Like the Advertiser, the Star-Bulletin slanted its coverage in favor of the defendants. Instead of writing a story titled, “Birther on trial for Iolani assault” or "Non-Hawaiian activist can't even say 'Ah Yuen'", its headline Wednesday was "Witnesses differ on Iolani assault". Thursday the headline was “Defendant says palace worker hit him.”

The slanted coverage and Akahi’s light sentence signal the continuing support for the increasingly farcical sovereignty movement provided by Hawaii’s venal elites. As the supply of willing Hawaiian criminals becomes depleted, outside criminals must be employed. The goal is to keep the “sovereignty” “movement” on life support as a justification for passage of the Akaka Bill.

Link: YouTube video of an 8-22-08 interview with Roggasch 

RELATED: Akaka Bill Reading list

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Akahi (Mr and Mrs) criminal records 

Abihai criminal record

Roggasch criminal record