A former Honolulu police officer pleaded guilty
Monday to filing fraudulent statements with his state
income tax returns but as part of a plea agreement is not expected to spend any time behind bars.
Eric Y.N. Yiu, 54, a retired Honolulu Police Department lieutenant, pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to three felony counts of
making false and fraudulent statements as part of the plea deal with the state
Attorney General’s Office.
The deal, which the court agreed to be bound by, includes no jail time and dismissal of three other felony counts of false and fraudulent statements.
The agreement also calls for him to be placed under court supervision or probation for four years, pay
restitution of $11,654 and be free to request that
his guilty plea be deferred, meaning his record would be wiped clean if he stays out of trouble for those
four years.
Yiu also would have to pay $1,165 to the Hawaii Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund under the plea deal, which could be voided if he were to violate any
of the court’s terms.
The agreement for no jail time contrasts with what the state was seeking
when Yiu was charged in October with the six felony counts, which each carried maximum terms of five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
The state accused him of providing false and fraudulent information from 2012 to 2017 on his annual tax returns.
Because Yiu faced multiple felonies, Deputy Attorney General Darrell Wong said in the October charging documents that “an extended term of imprisonment is necessary for the protection of the public.”
Judge Paul Wong said at Monday’s change-of-plea hearing that the state had been seeking an extended term of up to 10 years.
Flanked by his defense lawyers Howard Luke and Richard Sing, Yiu admitted to providing false values, proceeds or income in 2014, 2015 and 2017 on his returns for the prior tax years. He did not provide any additional details.
Yiu also asked for a deferral of his guilty plea.
Wong set a May 28 hearing to consider the request and for sentencing.
If Wong accepts the deferral, Yiu would be under court supervision for four years, after which his
record would be wiped clean if he stays out of trouble. If the request is denied, Yiu would be convicted of the three felony counts and placed on probation for four years.
Yiu had 29 years of
service with HPD when he retired in November, the month after he was charged with the felonies.
The case was investigated by HPD, the FBI, the Attorney General’s Office and the state Department of Taxation.
