Off the news: Couple bought Kapolei home in PPP fraud

A California couple has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a fraudulent scheme to access Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money — more than $1.36 million of it — by creating a fake paper trail and pretending to be small business owners with interests in California and Hawaii. They claimed they needed the funds to keep employees on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ill-gotten gains were used to buy three vehicles and two homes — one a Kapolei condo. Worst of all, the couple also spent $164,796 in taxpayer dollars to film a promotional trailer for a TV project they said they would produce in Hawaii. Its working title: “Ohana.”