Man pleads guilty to identity theft and wire fraud over false Hawaii COVID relief claims

Aug 25, 2026

A Honolulu man admitted in federal court to stealing people's identities to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in pandemic aid, a case that adds to the long tail of COVID relief fraud still being prosecuted.

  • Justin Craig, 51, pleaded guilty to multiple charges in Honolulu federal court.
  • He used stolen identities to pull in more than $450,000 in COVID relief money.
  • Court filings say he also set up fake companies to sell tables and other goods on Facebook Marketplace.
  • The combined charges carry up to 50 years in prison.

Outlook: Sentencing comes next, and more pandemic-aid fraud cases are likely to surface as investigators work through old claims.

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