”’Editor’s note: The purpose of House Bill 2536 is to propose two amendments relating to a sentence for the offense of Theft in the First Degree. The first amendment revises Hawaii Revised Statutes section 706-620 relating to probation to provide that a court shall impose a sentence of imprisonment when a defendant commits theft of property and the total loss to the victim exceeds $100,000.00. The second amendment revises Hawaii Revised Statutes section 853-4 to provide that a court may not defer acceptance of a guilty or no contest plea from a person who commits Theft in the First Degree when the total loss to the victim exceeds $100,000. The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney offered the following reasons for supporting the bill at a Feb. 2, 2006, legislative hearing in the House Judiciary Committee”’
The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney is in strong support of this bill, which is intended to mandate stiffer penalties for major white collar criminals who commit high-dollar financial frauds in Hawaii.
The public