REPORT FROM THE CITY PROSECUTOR – Pyong “Peter” Pak pleaded guilty as charged this morning to 80 felony theft counts filed against him in connection with an identity theft ring that victimized hundreds of Oahu residents, Prosecuting Attorney Keith M. Kaneshiro announced.
Pak, who pleaded guilty without an agreement from the prosecutor, will be sentenced January 15 to 20-year prison terms on multiple Class A felony charges of identity theft in the first degree. Based on his prior record, he also faces a court-imposed mandatory minimum of 13 years and four months.
Pak was the last of 14 defendants to be convicted.
During a period from May 1, 2010 to January 27, 2011, the ring victimized 256 residents for losses of $218,500.
The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney worked closely with the Honolulu Police Department, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspectors, Immigration, Customs and Enforcement, and the State Sheriff Division during the year-long investigation.
The other members of the ring, all convicted of identity theft-related charges, are:
- Al Alvarez, sentenced to concurrent 10- and 5-year terms on 25 counts.
- Arnold Agtang, sentenced to concurrent 10- and 5-year terms on 47 counts.
- Jefferson Ganado, sentenced to concurrent 10- and 5-year terms on 41 counts.
- Randy Garcia, sentenced to concurrent 10- and 5-year terms on 106 counts.
- Gerald N. Waialae III, sentenced to concurrent 10- and 5-year terms on 56 counts.
- Randall Wallace, sentenced to concurrent 10- and 5-year terms on 8 counts.
- Kimberly Nabarro, pending sentencing on 54 counts.
- Christopher Cole, sentenced to 5 years probation, jail and restitution on 17 counts.
- Rachel Taong-Parker, sentenced to 5 years probation, jail and restitution on 4 counts.
- Walter Cascayan, sentenced to 5 years probation, jail and restitution on 4 counts.
- Scott Brunson, sentenced to 5 years probation, jail and restitution on 17 counts.
- Alana Eskildson, sentenced to 5 years probation, jail and restitution on 1 count.
- Clyde Lee, sentenced to 5 years probation, jail and restitution on 1 count.
The ring, led by Pak and Waialae, obtained personal information by breaking into vehicles, homes and places of work, stealing mail and rummaging through trash.
They then created fake identification cards and counterfeit checks and applied for credit cards.
Total felony convictions: 458
Total dollar losses: $218,500
- Alvarez – $30,000
- Agtang – $31,500
- Ganado – $8,000
- Garcia – $26,000
- Pak – $100,000
- Waialae – $23,000
Total victims: 256
- Alvarez – 11
- Agtang – 14
- Ganado – 10
- Garcia – 33
- Pak – 77
- Waialae – 55
- Nabarro – 30
- Wallace – 4
- Cole – 10
- Parker – 2
- Cascayan – 2
- Brunson – 8
Submitted by the city & county of Honolulu’s Department of the Prosecuting Attorney