Accused Fraud Fugitive Surrenders at Honolulu Airport

Vida G. Bottom, Special Agent in Charge of the Honolulu Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the Tuesday morning arrest of fugitive Peter Heckmann, age 54, at Honolulu International Airport.

In July 2007, Heckmann (also spelled “Heckman”) was indicted by federal grand jury in Honolulu on seven counts of wire fraud relating to an investment fraud scheme he allegedly operated on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Heckmann allegedly became aware of the imminent criminal charges and fled Hawaii immediately prior to his indictment. In 2010, the FBI located Heckmann on the Indonesian island of Bali, where he was operating a recording studio and a record label, but he was not captured at that time.

On January 14, 2013, the FBI launched an Internet social media campaign designed to attract international interest in the manhunt. After the intensive publicity roll-out, the Honolulu FBI made contact with Heckmann via e-mail, urging a peaceful surrender. A dialogue between the FBI and the fugitive culminated in Heckmann voluntarily traveling to Honolulu to surrender at the airport at 7:30 a.m. today.

Heckmann was transported to the U.S. District Courthouse in Honolulu where he will have an initial court appearance later today. The statutory maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison per count.

The FBI would like to thank Honolulu Airport Customs and Border Protection officials for facilitating today’s arrest.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.