HONOLULU (KHON2) — A former basketball coach has been charged with theft and negotiating a worthless negotiable instrument.
Former UH basketball standout Justin Alika Pekelo Smith, 48, was arrested Thursday for allegations related to Waiākea High Schoolʻs basketball team.
Court records state that Smith used a third-party to arrange lodging for a boysʻ basketball trip, for which he collected $3,627 from parents. Rather than handing that to the company, court records state, he kept the money for himself and paid the company only $500 with the remainder paid by check–which was eventually returned unpaid. Smith allegedly never paid the company the remaining balance.
“The people of Hawaiʻi expect that their public servants to act with the honesty and integrity. When a public servant steals, the people’s faith in government is undermined,” said Acting Attorney General Matthew Dvonch, who is serving in that capacity while Attorney General Anne Lopez is out of state. “The Department of the Attorney General will prosecute all those who abuse their positions of trust.”
Theft in the Second Degree is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine not exceeding $10,000. Negotiating a worthless negotiable instrument is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine.