LIHU‘E — A Hanapepe man has until Feb. 22 to turn himself in to
federal authorities after being sentenced Monday on a federal
charge of filing a false tax return. Wael Abderlraheem Elwir, 37,
owns and operates souvenir shops on the island, and in May pleaded
guilty to the charges.
LIHU‘E — A Hanapepe man has until Feb. 22 to turn himself in to federal authorities after being sentenced Monday on a federal charge of filing a false tax return.
Wael Abderlraheem Elwir, 37, owns and operates souvenir shops on the island, and in May pleaded guilty to the charges.
He was sentenced on O‘ahu by federal Judge J. Michael Seabright to five months in prison, five months of home detention and a year of supervised release.
“It was a very fair sentence,” said Michael Green, Elwir’s Honolulu attorney.
The government is satisfied that Elwir will pay over $55,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for under-reporting gross receipts in 2003, 2004 and 2005, he said.
Elwir will have to wear a locating device during his five months of home detention, court records state.
He had faced up to three years in prison, a fine of not more than $100,000 and restitution of over $50,000. He is free until he must turn himself in in February.
Green said he did not know what the status of the souvenir shops on Kaua‘i is, whether they will remain open or not.
Elwir was indicted by a federal grand jury in February. He is a Palestinian with cancer, and earlier this year underwent a bone-marrow transplant, Green said.
In the plea agreement, federal prosecutors agreed to drop two of the three charges, with Elwir agreeing to pay restitution on or before the sentencing date.
The case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, and an IRS investigator warned that it is only a matter of time before another Kaua‘i case is prosecuted, as IRS investigators in Hawai‘i are aggressive.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Thomas handled the prosecution, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Osborne filling in for Thomas at the sentencing.
Elwir is prohibited from possessing or using drugs and possession of weapons, and must cooperate with the IRS in arranging for payment of any remaining delinquent taxes, interest and penalties, and the filing of tax returns.
The court recommended Elwir be allowed to serve his sentence at a West Coast medical center due to ongoing medical issues.
• Paul C. Curtis, assistant editor and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
