A 55-year-old Waimea woman said a broken heart caused by her 2008 divorce led to her embezzling almost $100,000 from the Big Island Pop Warner Football Conference. ADVERTISING A 55-year-old Waimea woman said a broken heart caused by her 2008
A 55-year-old Waimea woman said a broken heart caused by her 2008 divorce led to her embezzling almost $100,000 from the Big Island Pop Warner Football Conference.
Greta K. “Pua” Correa was sentenced today by Kona Circuit Judge Ronald Ibarra to 10 years probation and ordered to make restitution of $98,100 to the league. Correa, the league’s former treasurer, took the money between 2009 and 2012.
The sentence also calls for a year in jail, but that will be stayed if she abides by her probationary terms.
As part of the plea agreement, Correa was granted a deferred acceptance of her no contest plea. That means if she completes her probation satisfactorily, the conviction will be erased from her record.
Deputy Prosecutor Rick Damerville noted Correa has no prior record, and because of “an anomaly” in the law, if she were not granted the deferral, the longest probation period the judge could impose on the theft charge is four years.
“Given the amount of restitution that’s due and owing in this case and the seriousness of the offense, I think 10 years of supervision is warranted,” Damerville told the judge.
“… There have been other large property crime cases throughout the state of Hawaii. Sometimes, people go to prison for them. But she has demonstrated a willingness to make restitution, and I think restitution is the biggest issue for the state in this case.”
Correa presented a $10,000 cashier’s check to the court Tuesday as part of the plea deal. She’s to make $500 monthly payments. Should Correa, a real estate agent, lose employment through no fault of her own, she is free to renegotiate those payments.
The theft jeopardized a December 2013 trip to Florida to the Pop Warner Super Bowl by the state champion Panaewa Alii midget football team, but several fundraisers made it possible for the team and its chaperones to travel to the event.
“It could have been a bad situation all around,” Damerville said. “But the community rallied behind its kids. They didn’t miss this trip. But there’s no doubt in my mind, talking to members of the community, that there was a big lack of trust in people who had nothing to do with the theft.
“When this money disappeared, your average parent is out there thinking, ‘Who else is involved?’”
Ibarra also granted Damerville’s request that Correa be ordered to not gamble.
“Given the public records available, I think a no gambling clause and treatment is warranted in this case,” the prosecutor said.
Correa entered five poker tournaments, four in Las Vegas and another in Los Angeles, between 2008 and 2014, according to The Hendon Mob poker website, which also has an undated photo of Correa playing poker in a casino.
When Ibarra asked Correa, who sat at the defense table wiping tears during the proceedings if she had anything to say, she replied, “Just sorry.”
Correa never mentioned gambling despite pointed questions by the judge, but thanked the state “for giving me the opportunity to make a wrong right.”
“It wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone or harm anyone,” Correa said, adding she has worked with children all her life. “… I would have never thought it would have ended up this way for any reason. … I didn’t realize the effect until now, of all the people that I affected.”
Ibarra called stealing funds from kids “unforgivable.”
“What caused you to engage is this type of behavior and is it gonna happen again?” the judge asked.
“It will never happen again,” Correa replied. “And what caused me for this behavior was not being in the right mind and my heart was broken.”
League president William “Bo” Waite and vice president Chad Tolentino said they’re happy restitution was ordered and grateful for the closure brought by the sentencing.
“Are we totally happy with the outcome? No,” Tolentino said. “But, you know, the easiest thing right now is the money. It’s our job right now to build back the community’s trust and loyalty, that’s gonna be the hard part.”
“I just hope and pray that she stands by her word and does what she needs to do,” Waite added. “And I’m sure that maybe not all of us feel the same way, but I’m sure some of us will be happy with the outcome, as long as she pays everything back.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
