A mother, father and two sons from Germany accused of overstaying their visa and running an investment scam that took Hawaii residents for more than $300,000 pleaded not guilty Monday morning.
Haitem Taylor Abid Dhaene, aka “Tay”; Latifa Zanki Dhaene; Tim Dhaene; and Sofyane Abid Dhaene, aka “Zo,” entered their pleas before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter. Tim and Latifa Dhaene are the parents of Haitem and Sofyane.
Their trial is scheduled for May 8 before U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi. The family was arrested over the weekend by FBI agents.
Tim Dhaene’s attorney, Neal J. Kugiya, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser his client is awaiting trial to “prove his innocence in this matter.”
Haitem’s attorney, assistant federal public defender Melinda K. Yamaga, and Latifa’s attorney, Pamela I. Lundquist, did not immediately reply to Star-Advertiser requests for comment. Sofyane’s counsel, Catherine P. Gutierrez, declined comment.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren M. Nakamura and Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig S. Nolan are prosecuting the case for the government.
In a statement to the Star-Advertiser, U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors said the charges are the product of “close collaboration between federal and state law enforcement authorities,” according to a statement.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Special Investigation and Prosecution Division of the state Department of the Attorney General.
Anne Lopez, state attorney general, said in a statement that the SIPD was created to give Hawaii a “valuable tool” to combat white-collar crime and human trafficking.
Haitem allegedly told Aston Sunset Waikiki staff that he and his family were staying at the hotel “temporarily, while they waited for weather to improve so they could depart Hawaii via a private jet,” according to the government’s motion to detain him without bail.
Haitem allegedly booked a flight to Barcelona, Spain, leaving Feb. 23 but canceled it at the last minute. Sofyane was released ahead of trial, and his brother, mother and father will face detention hearings today and Wednesday.
According to an indictment secured by federal prosecutors Feb. 23, the family arrived in the U.S. from Frankfurt, Germany, in January 2022 with Belgian passports and were granted 90-day visitor visas, which expired in April.
In July the family asked their landlords to recommend a wealth management adviser. The landlords introduced the family to “Person 3,” who worked with a wealth management firm based in Stamford, Conn.
After consulting with the Dhaenes, “Person 3” allegedly determined they were making up their story and cut off contact.
In September the family moved to Hawaii, and Haitem allegedly “falsely (represented) himself to persons in Honolulu as a private equity investor who had made millions of dollars from his investments in small start-up companies.”
The Dhaene family allegedly “solicited multiple persons in Honolulu” and eventually convinced them to invest with Haitem, who was purportedly making moves that were fully guaranteed by the Connecticut business.
The Connecticut company and its representative had no idea this was happening, according to the indictment.
On Oct. 17 two people from Honolulu gave Haitem a $10,000 cashier’s check. Haitem told them the money was going into an account of the Connecticut wealth management company. The money was allegedly deposited into Haitem and Latifa’s account.
Haitem then told the two investors that their $10,000 had ballooned to $148,000.
On Oct. 21, Haitem allegedly emailed the terms of an agreement that called on the pair to give Haitem “$442,000.00 US Dollars — consisting of $294,000.00 of private funds and $148,000.00 currently invested funds,” and that on the 30th of each month, they would receive a 216% return on their investment, about $512,720.
Of that $512,720, $256,360 would be reinvested through the Connecticut wealth management company, and the other half would be returned. Latifa allegedly told them their retirement accounts were underperforming and that they would be better off investing their money with Haitem.
One week later they gave Haitem $294,000 from a 401(k) account.
On Nov. 2 the investors confronted Haitem with concerns about their investment. Haitem allegedly told them that their money was combined with his money and other investors’ funds.
Haitem also allegedly told them he had a trust worth $52 million and that their investment payouts were delayed “due to blocks placed on his wire transfers from his bank accounts in Europe.”
In October, Haitem met with two more investors identified in the indictment as “person 4” and “person 5” in their Honolulu home and told them he ran a private equity investment fund worth $100 million.
On Oct. 15 the pair allegedly gave Haitem $5,000 that would be invested, and “interest would accrue on the unpaid balance at a rate of 315% per annum beginning on October 16.”
Tim told the pair that he taught Haitem “everything he knows about investing” and that they “needed to be patient with payments because nothing happened overnight.” Latifa allegedly told them Haitem had brought them a “a life-changing opportunity that they must seize,” and Sofyane allegedly said that Haitem and their family only “select only a few people to assist financially.”
“Person 4” and “Person 5” have not received payments of principal or interest.
“This alleged fraud is an unconscionable display of greed and manipulation,” Steven Merrill, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Honolulu field office, said in a statement. “The FBI is committed to bringing to justice those who perpetrate these outrageous scams.”
