The idea of putting on a Stevie Wonder concert to benefit University of Hawaii athletics started out as the pitch by a financially-strapped local promoter hoping to piggy-back a separate Maui concert onto the UH performance, but instead ended up in a high-profile fiasco that could spell the end of his 40-year career in a profession where trust is everything.

It’s just one of the stories buried in the 1,356 redacted pages turned over to the Senate Special Committee on Accountability by UH officials.

Promoter Bob Peyton told his version of the story to investigators on August 1, 2012. It appears on what is marked as page 831 in the attachments to the fact-finders report, but is page 945 in the pdf file. There are links to this and other documents on the legislature’s website.

Peyton told investigators he has wanted to bring Stevie Wonder back to Hawaii “for years.” He said he had been trying to book Wonder for a show on Maui, but needed a second show in Honolulu in order to afford the performer’s fee of $730,000 for the two shows. The university was to pay $450,000 of the total plus other concert expenses.

Peyton was facing substantial financial trouble at the time, having been through a personal bankruptcy and facing threatened foreclosure on his home in Kailua. He hoped the concert, if successful, might lead to an ongoing affiliation with the university for future concerts.

Peyton said he started discussing the concert possibility with a promoter in England, who referred him to another person whose identity and affiliation was also redacted before the document was made public. However, Peyton previously identified this person as Helen Williams, a principal with the Elite agency based in Spain.

According to Payton’s statement: “(redacted) claimed to represent (redacted–most certainly “Stevie Wonder”) as his international agent and claimed to be dealing with (redacted), who I knew to be an attorney for (redacted), who I knew to be a former president of (redacted), and a third person who I was told was in direct contact with (redacted–probably “Stevie Wonder.”)

“Because “redacted” had referred (redacted) to me, I did not believe that any investigation was necessary.”

Peyton said he needed the Honolulu concert to be a benefit for the university because it would be easier to gain city approval, he could get the performer to accept a discounted fee, and, perhaps most important, he would have advanced access to box office receipts in order to cover costs.

“I could not put on the show without the cash flow from the box office,” Peyton said. University officials say paying these expenses from ticket sales in advance of the concert was highly unusual.

During negotiations with the agency in Spain, Peyton said he didn’t want to send money out of the U.S., and also didn’t want to pay a handling fee. After Florida was selected as a central point for the money transfer, one of the parties–their name is redacted–suggested another person in Florida who “offered to let us use his account without charge,” Peyton told investigators.

This third party was likely associated with Epic Talent LLC, the Florida firm that has been tied to the money transfer in previously published accounts.

Peyton told investigators he had signed a booking agreement in May calling for the dual performances by Wonder on Maui and in Manoa. It called for a total fee of $730,000 for the two concerts, including a $50,000 “binder” to seal the deal, with the balance in two payments, both due prior to the planned concerts.

Peyton said the university knew certain expenses for the concerts, including 17 air fares for Wonder and his entourage, as well as all of the $50,000 binder, would have to be paid from the university’s advance ticket sales.

Peyton told investigators he didn’t have the money to pay the initial $50,000 fee. When arena manager Rich Sheriff said the university was not willing to put up the money, Peyton said he arranged a loan from “the accountant for friends of mine.”

Although the name of the person who made the loan to Peyton was redacted, documents released by the committee point toTom Ueno, a local CPA who at the time of the loan was finishing a term as chairman of the state’s Board of Public Accountancy. The documents include a copy of the loan agreement and a bank receipt showing the $50,000 payment had been wired to a Florida bank, apparently the same one where UH later sent its $200,000 payment.

Ueno was traveling on the mainland and could not be reached for comment last week, according to his office.

Ueno told the factfinders:

I learned form a mutual friend that (redacted) needed money for the concert. This friend asked me to loan the money to (redacted). I did not know (redacted). And I did not discuss the loan, the concert or anything else with (redacted). I would rather not identify the friend who asked me to make the loan.

To get the loan, Peyton agreed to pay a loan fee of $10,000, which was wrapped into the original loan, bringing the amount being borrowed to $60,000. Because names in the loan agreement were redacted, it is not clear whether the loan fee went to Ueno or another person. In addition, Peyton agreed to pay 25 percent interest on the total amount borrowed, or $15,000.

According to the loan agreement, the principal amount was to be repaid in full just five days after the concert tickets went on sale to the public, which was expected to be within a month of the loan. The interest was to be paid two days after the concert. According to the loan agreement, the loan, loan fee, and interest were to be paid directly by the university out of ticket proceeds.

Peyton also agreed to provide Ueno with 10 VIP ticket packages “for the Financier’s employees and clients.” These VIP tickets were being sold to UH corporate sponsors and booster club members for $250 each.

The $50,000 payment was wired from American Savings Bank’s main branch to a Bank of America account in Florida on May 29. The university’s $200,000 was apparently sent to the same account on June 26.

Both payments remain unaccounted for. Attempts by the university to recover its payment were unsuccessful.

To be continued….