HONOLULU - A former Maui resident was sentenced in U.S. District Court on Monday to 44 months in prison for embezzling more than $160,000 from the Kulia Ohana Credit Union in Wailuku from 2008 to 2009.
Amy P. Waikiki, 36, pleaded guilty to embezzlement and a related offense, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. Attorney Florence Nakakuni said Waikiki stole $163,744 from 34 credit union member accounts by making 224 unauthorized transactions. She worked at the credit union as a teller from Aug. 8, 2008, to June 25, 2009.
In 2009, Waikiki was convicted in state court of 10 theft charges that occurred during her employment with an insurance company. That led to her termination from the credit union, which then discovered the embezzlement, federal prosecutors said.
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge David Ezra noted that Waikiki had lied to her former employer, the insurance agency, about having cancer, and to the District Court's Pretrial Services and probation officers. She claimed to have a job on Maui, when in fact she was unemployed and living in California.
Ezra also pointed out that Waikiki stole money from the credit union while she was aware she was being investigated by the insurance company for stealing $28,000 in insurance premiums from its clients, leaving many of them without insurance.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Silverberg.
