HONOLULU— A former Honolulu police officer was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for extorting a local businessman of $15,000 by attempting to convince the owners that they would be kidnapped or robbed or both if they did not hire a protection business.
U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson sentenced Roddy Takao Tsunezumi, age 38, a former Honolulu to three years and nine months after he plead guilty of interfering with commerce by threats in an extortion scheme aimed at the Honolulu business.
According to the evidence, this is what happened:
Tsunezumi joined with codefendant Jeremy Javillo to extort $15,000 from a local Honolulu business by attempting to convince the owners that they would be kidnapped and/or robbed if they did not hire a protection business offered by Javillo.
The owners of the business had reported an apparent legitimate threat they received to Tsunezuni in his role as an Honolulu Police Department officer.
Instead of properly investigating or referring the threat through normal police channels, Tsunezumi arranged for one of the owners to meet with his associate, Javillo, who Tsunezumi told them could arrange protection for them.
In order to coerce the owners to employ this protection service, a series of threatening text messages were then sent anonymously to the business owners, according to the evidence.
Javillo also pled guilty.