Honolulu FBI Targets Stimulus Fraud with New Hotline

Frank Montoya, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Honolulu Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced today the establishment of a hotline for reporting fraud related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The Honolulu FBI government fraud hotline number is 808-545-2577.

By way of background, the ARRA was enacted by the U.S. Congress in February 2009 and was intended to create jobs and promote investment and consumer spending during the recession. The measures taken by the federal government were worth $787 billion spread among all U.S. states and territories. To date, the state of Hawaii has been awarded approximately $1.5 billion in stimulus funds.

“History has shown that when large sums of money become available in the form of government contracts, a sizable percentage of that money can be lost to waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Honolulu FBI Special Agent in Charge Frank Montoya, Jr. “We want to ensure that citizens who become aware of fraud have a place to turn.” Accordingly, the Honolulu FBI established a telephone hotline wherein anyone can make a complaint regarding governmental fraud relating to the ARRA.

According to the website www.recovery.gov, top Hawaii recipients of ARRA funds include:

• Hawaii Department of Education - $203 million
• University of Hawaii Systems - $174 million
• Hawaii Department of Transportation - $151 million
• City and County of Honolulu - $85 million
• Executive Office of the State of Hawaii - $78 million

Anyone with information to provide regarding government contract fraud is encouraged to call the FBI government fraud hotline at 808-545-2577.