The Maui News The Maui News staff members earned nine honors at the Hawaii Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism awards last week.
The Pacific Media Workers Guild, which represents union members of the Maui News, said the owner, Ogden Newspapers, has failed to meet with members of the bargaining unit and has not allowed employees to watch bargaining efforts.
lfujimoto@mauinews.com
WAILUKU A California man arrested in an operation targeting online sexual predators was allowed to return home while his case is pending, after a $300,000 bench warrant was rescinded last month.
Ryan Fu, 28, was ordered to surrender his passport to the prosecutor’s office within a week of returning to California. He also was ordered to appear by videoconference for his pretrial conference June 28 in 2nd Circuit Court.
As a “geeky kind of guy” described by his attorney, “you should be able to figure it out,” Judge Rhonda Loo told Fu.
He was among seven men arrested March 12 to 14 in “Operation Keiki Shield 7,” which was run by police working with state and federal law enforcement officers.
lfujimoto@mauinews.com
WAILUKU – A Kahului man, described as the “linchpin” in an illegal sports betting operation, was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and was placed on four years’ probation Thursday.
Paul Vargas, 70, had $2,200 in cash and his 2015 Dodge Ram truck forfeited to the state.
The money and vehicle were seized when Maui Police Department officers executed search warrants for Vargas and his property in 2015, said Deputy Prosecutor Mike Kagami.
He said betting sheets and other gambling records were found in the truck.
“During the MPD operation, Mr. Vargas was seen operating this truck while engaged in these gambling activities,” Kagami said in asking for the truck to be forfeited.