So what happened to the University of Hawaii’s money from the failed Stevie Wonder concert?

An initial $50,000 payment was wired to a Florida account on May 29, 2012, part of a loan obtained by promoter Bob Peyton that was to be paid from advance ticket sales. The university’s payment of $200,000 was sent on June 26.

Meanwhile, ticket sales were “not that good.”

• Walter Watanabe, ticket manager.

(redacted) showed me an email from me to various people sent on June 23, 2012. I sent this email as a status update of the ticket sales. It was not as good as I had hoped. The goal was to have a sell-out. Selling 600 tickets in two hours does not indicate that a sell-out will occur.

• From ticket sales report, July 9, 2012. 10:30 a.m.
There were approximately 11,000 tickets available in the planned concert configuration.

Tickets sold: 5,893

Total ticket revenue: $629,888.00

This was well short of the $1.1 million envisioned by the promoter.

• According to the timeline of events prepared by the university:

July 9: President Greenwood receives email from Robert Light, managing partner of Creative Artists Agency, informing her that he is Stevie Wonder’s agent and that he and Mr. Wonder have no knowledge of the concert

• Excerpt from mail message dated 7/9/2012 3:56:46 P.M. Hawaiian Standard Time.

Dear Ms. Greenwood,

My name is (redacted), I am one of the managing Partners at (redacted).

I am (redacted)’s agent (and have been for the last 18 years). It has come to our attention, that a (redacted) is promoting a benefit concert for (redacted) at your Honolulu campus, Sheriff Arena on August 18th, 2012.

Please know, (redacted), his management and myself have no knowledge of this event.

It was never brought us as an offer, and at this time it is not a confirmed engagement.

I am not sure who (redacted) was speaking with, but I can assure you it was not one of (redacted)’s representatives.

• Excerpts from email dated July 9, 2012 4:32:22 PM HST, Bob Peyton to Robert Light of Creative Artists Agency.

I am sure this is an oversight and we can work it out amicably.

…we have known each other for dozens of years and I too have a reputation to uphold.

In the meantime…please lets reason this out and stop the frantic alarm….

• Email message dated 7/9/2012 4:44:22 P.M. Hawaiian Standard Time, apparently from Robert Light to Bob Peyton.

Respectfully, I have no idea who (redacted) is, or where they are based. I am not sure why you would have sent anyone $250,000 without checking with an official representative of (redacted).

This is not an issue of working something out amicably, I do not even know if he is available on the 18th. He may have personal plans.

When you suggest this is an oversight, I am not sure what that even means. And on whose part?

I would ask that you send us all the relevant paperwork, and I would also suggest that you demand the deposit back.

When I have all the pertinent information, I will forward to (redacted)’s management, and get you some quick feedback.

To your letter, I am not being frantic, nor do I owe this situation “reason.” We were not even aware of the show until yesterday.

I am actually more surprised that you did not do your research and due diligence about who (redacted) is, and if this was really a confirmed date.

BUt at this time, this is NOT a confirmed show. It should not be on sale, and should not be advertised.

• July 10, 2012. 6:15 a.m. Notes by Jim Donovan on telephone call he received.

6:15am

-: managing partner
said he talked with (redacted) who handles all of (redacted) business affairs and they know nothing about this concert and it’s not approved.

(redacted) has been (redacted)’s agent for 18 years and says he handles all of (redacted). concerts. He does not think this concert will go on He will be talking to (redacted’s). management and probably (redacted) himself & he will get back to me later today (definitely does not sound optimistic and he says the university needs to ‘quickly follow-up on the $200,000 because he doesn’t have it, (redacted)’s management doesn’t have it and he doesn’t know wbere it’s at.

• From statement by Howard Todo, UH Vice-President for Budget & Finance/Chief Financial Officer.

President Greenwood asked if 1 could see if we could recover the $200,000. I called Bank of America in Orlando. I spoke to (redacted) , VP of Bank of America, said she asked the account holder to agree to the return of the money and the account holder said, no. I asked Paul Kobayashi to call Bank ofHawaii. Bank of Hawaii also requested a return of the money and received the same response. (redacted) said that she could not tell me anything about the account or the account holder. A few minutes after speaking with (redacted), a VP of Global Financial Crimes Investigations and Compliance from Bank of America called me and said that they cannot give me information about the account, but that we should ask the FBI to move quickly to freeze the account.

• From statement by Paul Kobayashi, UH Director of Financial Management and Controller.

I learned that the (redacted) benefit concert would not go forward from reading the newspaper. I discussed it with Todo. He asked me to gather information pertaining to the transaction. He also asked me to contact Bank of Hawaii to attempt to recover the $200,000.

Bank of Hawaii did reach Bank of America, who confirmed that there were no funds left in the account to which the transfer was made. Bank of America contacted the owner of that account. The owner declined to return the funds.

• Excerpt from statement by Tom Ueno, CPA, who loaned Peyton the $50,000 that was wired to a Florida bank account as a “binder” fee.

1 found out that the concert would not go forward when I read about it in the pear.

I have followed up with my friend about the loan.

1 have not had direct contact with (redacted) or (redacted).

The FBI has not been in touch with me.