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Honolulu police officer and former University of Hawaii volleyball player Maulia LaBarre pleaded not guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to five counts of wire fraud.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard L. Puglisi scheduled trial for November and ordered LaBarre released from custody on $25,000 unsecured signature bond. The FBI arrested LaBarre, 34, on Friday.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging LaBarre with committing wire fraud as part of a scheme to deprive the city and Honolulu Police Department of his services as a police officer through bribery. Each of the five charges carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
According to the indictment, LaBarre used his authority as a police officer to access certain computer databases to get information about a woman who had been arrested for prostitution. He then exchanged text messages and telephone calls with the woman, telling her that he is a police officer and that he would arrange to have the arresting officer not show up in court for her case in exchange for sex with him.
The indictment lists five text messages LaBarre allegedly sent to the woman. The first one, dated Jan. 31, read: “I can help you with that maybe get the cased (sic) dropped.” A March 22 message said: “You still down to hook up?” The last message, dated April 19, said: “I can come right now if you want,” according to the indictment.
Also on April 19, investigators of the state Department of the Attorney General arrested LaBarre in Waikiki in an apparent sting. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted bribery, prostitution and unauthorized computer access charges. He was released pending further investigation.
HPD stripped LaBarre of his police powers and placed him on restricted duty following the arrest.
LaBarre is an eight-year veteran of HPD. He lettered in volleyball at UH in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006.