LIHU‘E — A former Kaua‘i-based federal worker was arraigned last week for using his government credit card to make about $17,000 in unauthorized purchases.
LIHU‘E — A former Kaua‘i-based federal worker was arraigned last week for using his government credit card to make about $17,000 in unauthorized purchases.
Scott Poland, who appeared via telephone before the U.S. District Court of Hawai‘i Thursday, pled not guilty to 43 counts of theft of government money and property.
The charges were racked up during a six-month period in 2017, the indictment states.
The 43 expenses are largely mundane, at department stores like The Home Depot and Walmart, and utility companies, with an AT&T bill payment as a monthly offense.
They range in cost from a $26.03 purchase at Island Ace Hardware in Princeville, to back-to-back payments of more than $1,000 at Gary’s Service in Lihu‘e.
Though the indictment did not name the position Poland held at the time of the alleged offenses, a LinkedIn page shows that a Kilauea-based Scott Poland served as a budget analyst at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Poland’s court summons lists his current residence as Kapa‘a.
Poland’s bail was set at $25,000.
He will next appear in court at 9:30 a.m. April 18 for a pre-trial conference. Jury selection is slated for 8:30 a.m. May 17.
