A 39-year-old Hilo woman pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud by embezzling funds from the charter school where she once was employed.
Sentencing for Kelaukila “Ua” Estabilio is scheduled for May 19 before U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson in Honolulu.
According to court documents and information presented in court, from 2006 through January 2019, Estabilio worked for Kua O Ka La Public Charter School. Estabilio was the school’s financial officer and responsible for managing the books and records.
From approximately 2012 through 2019, Estabilio misused the charter school’s funds to pay for her and her family’s personal credit card bills totaling around $628,835. Estabilio falsified the books and records of the charter school to conceal her embezzlement activities for years.
For a full story, see Wednesday’s edition of the Tribune-Herald.