Category Archives: Crime

New charges being considered in probate fraud case

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It has been nearly six months since Robert Earl Chapman, the former managing partner of a large downtown Honolulu law firm, was indicted on 22 counts stemming from the alleged theft of property held by the estate of a deceased client.

Chapman has pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, although his attorney, Myles Breiner, has indicated in a court filing that a change of plea is “probable.”

According to the indictment, Chapman went to court in 2018 to obtain authority as the “personal representative” of a Honolulu man who had died two years previously.

He then allegedly used fraudulently created or altered documents to transfer property valued at $750,000 from the estate to himself or to a company in which he was the sole officer.

Court records show at least one plea offer has been made by prosecutors, and negotiations over terms of a plea agreement are ongoing and a trial date has been postponed several times.

Chapman has been free after posting a $1 million bail bond. He and his wife took out a $1 million mortgage on their Lanikai home to secure the bond.

More than two years before his indictment, Chapman gave up his license to practice law in lieu of being disbarred by the Hawaii Supreme Court following a lengthy investigation of a different case of probate fraud.

Now, with a possible plea deal still in limbo, prosecutors appear to be ready to play hardball by adding at least one additional charge.

During a court hearing two weeks ago, prosecutors said an additional charge is being considered.

“State updated the court as to a potential new criminal case,” according to minutes of the October 20 hearing. A further update “as to the additional charge” will be provided at a hearing February 6, 2026, the hearing minutes available online show.

There is no other indication of what the additional charge or new criminal case might be.

Meanwhile, Chapman has been traveling.

He requested and received court approval to travel out of state on two different trips since he was charged in June.

He was allowed to fly to Massachusetts, and then drive through New Hampshire and on to Maine between September 21 and October 11. This is considered the best time for “leaf peeping,” or traveling to enjoy view of vibrant colors of the fall folliage.

He has also received court approval to spend five weeks in New Zealand visiting his grandchildren between December 8 and January 13, 2026.

Also see:

Fraud allegations lead to resignation of prominent business attorney, December 29, 2022.

Former Honolulu attorney indicted in alleged $750K probate fraud, iLind.net, June 21, 2025.

Bermudez dumps another attorney

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Lance Bermudez was the last of about 18 associates of the late racketeering boss, Michael J. Miske, Jr., to be sentenced. On July 14, Judge Derrick Watson sentenced him to 30 years (360 months) for drug trafficking, with lesser sentences for racketeering and assault to run concurrently to the drug term. It was the longest prison sentence among that 18 or so of Miske’s co-defendants and other associates who pleaded guilty.

He is currently serving his sentence at a federal facility in North Carolina.

Within days of his sentencing, Bermudez filed a notice that he would be appealing to the 9th Circuit Court. At the same time, his attorney, Myles Breiner, filed a motion asking to withdraw from the case. In a declaration filed in court, Breiner said Bermudez wanted a court-appointed attorney to take over. Breiner also said there could be a conflict of interest if Bermudez were to appeal based on a claim of “ineffective counsel.”

A California-based attorney, DeAnna Dotson, was appointed to replace Breiner on August 14.

On the same day, Dotson mailed Bermudez a letter informing him of her appointment to handle his appeal. She also telephoned and was able to speak with him.

In a declaration filed in court this week, Dotson said Bermudez “refused to receive the letter I had mailed to him and it was returned to me unopened marked ‘Inmate refused to Legal Mail.’”

“My client signed a Plea Agreement which waived his right to a direct appeal,” Dotson continued. However, if the government breached that agreement I would be able to file a direct appeal on his behalf. I received his documents and reviewed all of them to see if there was a breach. I could not find any such breach by the government.”

“My client does not want to have any contact with me, either by mail or telephone,” Dotson wrote.

As a result, she has also asked to withdraw from the case. Before withdrawing, however, Dotson reported spending time trying to arrange for Bermudez to be transferred to a prison in Beaumont, Texas, where he wants to be held because he has family in the area.

It is unclear at this point whether another Bermudez will be offered another court-appointed attorney or whether his failure to cooperate will end his appeal.

Meanwhile, appeals filed on behalf of John Stancil and Norman Akau are on hold due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Deadlines for filing opening briefs in their appeals, and other cases being handled by court-appointed attorneys, have been vacated by order of Mary Murguia, chief judge of the 9th Circuit. Those deadlines will not be reset until a funding bill is passed and funds are available to pay the attorneys.

Both men have filed notices of appeal. Stancil’s opening brief was due last week, while Akau’s would have been due next week. Both are now in legal limbo pending the end of the shutdown.

Also see:

The “Hammah” falls, iLind.net, September 8, 2022.

Seven years since the fatal shooting at Ala Moana Center, iLind.net,

What’s Next for “Hammah”? Lance Bermudez, key Miske associate, to be sentenced, iLind.net, October 12, 2025.

The “Hammah” and his attorney get hammered as the Miske Enterprise case winds down, iLind.net, October 16, 2025

Clergy members describe assaults by ICE agents at Illinois facility

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We were singing old protest hymns like “We shall not be moved.” We eventually changed it to “Even if they tear gas us, we shall not be moved.” We also sang “We shall not be moved,” in Spanish. This song is about standing up for justice in a metaphorical sense. We were not literally blocking anything and no one ever asked us to move. Nonetheless, we were continuously tear-gassed and had pepper balls launched at us.
The Rev. Dr. Beth Johnson
Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Hinsdale

Federal court records provide a continuing flow of first-hand unfiltered information about the attacks on First Amendment rights by ICE agents. The documents below were filed in against the federal government by a group of reporters, journalism organization, and other who say they witnessed numerous incidents of escalating violence by federal agents in response to demonstrations outside the ICE detention center in Broadview, Illinois, twelve miles from downtown Chicago.

According to Politico:

The plaintiffs are urging the court to protect the First Amendment rights of protesters to peacefully demonstrate around the facility and of journalists to “observe, record, and report on the federal agents’ activities and the public’s demonstrations against them.”

The suit — which was filed by the newsroom Block Club Chicago, the Chicago Headline Club, local labor unions representing Chicago-area journalists and a group of individual journalist and protesters — lists specific incidents in which they say agents targeted the press, including instances where they allege six journalists were hit with either pepper balls or tear gas despite wearing visible press credentials.

They also list eight examples of protesters and residents who they said were harmed or injured by ICE officers’ “violent presence” — including a minister for a local Presbyterian Church who allegedly was struck by the pepper balls and sprayed with tear gas while trying to offer prayers to the crowd.

The 52-page complaint can be read for free online.

Among the exhibits filed in court are several declarations by members of the clergy representing different religious denominations which describe what they witnesses and, in some cases, assaults they suffered at the hands of armed federal agents.

I’ve combined several of these, which are posted below.

While relatively rare, right-wing terrorism far exceeds that from the left, study finds

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A recent report on political violence by the Cato Institute, a non-partisan Libertarian-based think tank, examined the data on cases of murder in politically motivated terror attacks in the U.S. over the 50 years between 1975 and 2025.

The findings may be surprising to some in light of prevailing right-wing narrative in this country.

Overall, the Cato report found that political murder is rare in the U.S.

A total of 3,597 people have been murdered in politically motivated terrorist attacks in the United States from January 1, 1975, through September 10, 2025. Murders committed in terrorist attacks account for about 0.35 percent of all murders since 1975.

Most victims of politically-motivated murders during the period (87%) died in the 9-11 attacks, which skews the data.
To avoid this, the report then excludes the 9-11 attacks, but retains all other terrorist attacks motivated by Islamic ideology, as well as other ideologies.

According to the data, right-wingers accounted for for 391 murders over the years, more than twice the number killed by those motivated by Islamic and left-wing ideologies combined.

“The definition here of right-wing terrorists includes those motivated by white supremacy, anti-abortion beliefs, involuntary celibacy (incels), and other right-wing ideologies,” according to the report.

By comparison, left-wing terrorists murdered 65 people during the same period. These include murders motivated by black nationalism, anti-police sentiment, communism, socialism, animal rights, environmentalism, anti-white ideologies, and other left-wing ideologies.

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The study then focused on only those incidents since 2020. The overall changes a bit, but cases right-wing political murder still outnumber those motivated by Islamist and leftist ideologies combined.

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You can read the Cato Institute report here.

The report’s methodology and data sources are discussed at length in a separate post.