HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Hawaii resident indicted on charges of filing $458,597 in fraudulent COVID relief claims pleaded guilty to several counts in federal court in Honolulu on Monday.
Justin Craige Likout, 51, admitted to a total of eight counts of bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was indicted on 24 counts in October.
Court documents allege Likout stole the identities of two people in order to secure business loans.
He is also accused of establishing businesses to submit fraudulent claims through the Paycheck Protection Program during pandemic shutdowns.
The wire fraud charges also include allegations that Likout accepted money for tables and other items sold on Facebook Marketplace that were never delivered to buyers.
According to the indictment, Likout used multiple aliases to commit the crimes, including “Jaycee Thorpe,” “JC Thorpe,” “Justin Thorpe,” “John…
This remains the most prevalent form of financial crime globally. It targets the direct access points to your money: your cards and your bank accounts.
- Skimming: Criminals use small devices called “skimmers” placed over ATM or point-of-sale card slots to capture the data from your card’s magnetic strip.
- Card-Not-Present (CNP) Fraud: This occurs during online shopping where a physical card isn’t required. Thieves use stolen card numbers, expiry dates, and CVV codes to make unauthorized purchases.
- Account Takeover (ATO): A hacker gains access to your online banking credentials (often through malware or phishing) and changes the contact details or passwords, locking you out while they drain your funds.