Asked to identify some of the most noteworthy investigations, Paul Delacourt offers insight into the state’s most memorable cases over the last several years.
Terrorism
Paul Delacourt served as an FBI Agent in Hawaii for more than seven years across several roles, eventually leading the Honolulu FBI office as Special Agent in Charge. The first noteworthy case he identified was a high-profile investigation that resulted in the State’s first indictment for material support for terrorism.
FBI Arrests Hawaii Man on Terrorism Charges– A 34-year-old Waipahu active duty soldier named Ikaika Kang was arrested on July 8, 2017, over terrorism charges for supplying material support to ISIS. He was indicted by the Hawaii grand jury for these charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Organized Crime
Traditional criminal investigations are more common in Hawaii, and Paul Delacourt called attention to a long and complex organized crime investigation.
Eleven Defendants Charged by Hawaiian Federal Court for Racketeering, Conspiracy, and More Offenses- Michael J. Miske, Jr. and 10 other defendants were indicted on July 5, 2020, for racketeering and other crimes. Miske also had a prior indictment for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of a 21-year-old man named Johnathan Fraser in 2016. In addition, Miske has also been charged with cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, the racketeering activity included acts involving murder, kidnapping, arson, and robbery. It also included acts relating to murder-for-hire, chemical weapons, extortionate credit transactions, racketeering, interference with commerce through robbery and extortion, drug trafficking, wire fraud, fraud in connection with identification documents, financial institution fraud, the Currency, and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.
Espionage
Although a comparatively small field office, FBI Honolulu has conducted a number of important counterintelligence investigations over the years, said Paul Delacourt. He also served as an FBI Liaison Officer to US Pacific Command.
US Naval Officer Arrested in Honolulu Airport on Espionage Charges- In 2015, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lin was arrested at the airport on his way to China. What started out as the capture of someone committing espionage of epic proportions, his misdeeds were unraveled into something more. According to Hawaii Public Radio, Lin allegedly transported secret information out of the country without permission, then lied about where he’d been. He allegedly committed espionage twice and attempted to on three other occasions. The New York Times reported that Investigators believe he provided secrets to his girlfriend. Lieutenant Commander Lin also faces charges of patronizing prostitutes and committing adultery, which is a crime under military law.
Public Corruption
Public Corruption investigations are the Bureau’s highest-priority criminal investigation, and a years-long, complex, layered investigation emphasizes the priority.
Former Honolulu Police Department Chief and his Wife Indicted on Conspiracy Allegations: Star-Advertiser states that Honolulu’s former police chief and his city deputy prosecutor’s wife were arrested Friday in the most significant case of alleged public abuse of power in state history, and prosecutors said the investigation could lead to even further charges.
Former Police Chief Louis Kealoha, his wife, Former Honolulu Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, and two other officers were convicted of a complex series of frauds and corruption charges. Their scheme consisted of attempting to frame Katherine’s uncle for a crime he did not commit in order to cover up the extensive fraud they had committed against his mother and her valuable estate and beneficiaries. Katherine was sentenced to 13 years, while Louis was sentenced to 7 years in prison. They were also ordered to pay back over $690,000 in retribution to their victims.
Introducing Paul Delacourt
Paul Delacourt is a former FBI special agent currently based near Washington, DC. Delacourt retired from the FBI in May 2021, following a distinguished 25-year career in law enforcement.
During this time, he served three years as the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Honolulu field office. This post in Honolulu came after the Michigan native had spent more than two years as the FBI liaison officer to a counter-narcotics task force at US Pacific Command at Camp Smith in the Hawaiian town of Aiea and another two years as the Criminal Chief of the FBI office.
Paul Delacourt is currently a program director at Red River Technology in Chantilly, Virginia. He’s also an adjunct lecturer at the prestigious University of Chicago Graham School, where he teaches a variety of intelligence-focused topics. For more from Paul Delacourt, connect with the program director, adjunct lecturer, and former special agent on LinkedIn.
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