Kailua Man Indicted for Hurricane Katrina Fraud

HONOLULU—A federal grand jury returned a 28-count indictment today against Kailua (Oahu) resident Dan Doyle, age 54, for an investment fraud scheme marketed primarily on AM radio financial shows airing in California. Florence T. Nakakuni, United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, and Frank Montoya, Jr., Honolulu FBI Special Agent in Charge, announced the indictment of Doyle on 27 counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud relating to real estate projects designed to rebuild affected areas of Mississippi following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

The indictment describes a program known as the “Gulf Opportunity Zone” (“GO Zone”) implemented by the federal government to provide tax incentives to real estate investors and developers seeking to build affordable housing in the Gulf region following the August 2005 devastation of Hurricane Katrina.The indictment also alleges:

■Doyle owned and operated a business in Kailua using names including Investment Real Estate Network and Investment Radio Network. From late 2007 through December 2009, DOYLE allegedly purchased air-time on California talk radio stations to broadcast “radio infomercials” that he hosted and produced touting the benefits of Mississippi “GO Zone” real estate investments. Listeners to the programs were encouraged to call DOYLE’s office in Kailua for investment information.

■When potential investors called Doyle’s Kailua office, they were allegedly encouraged to wire transfer a refundable deposit to Doyle’s business bank account in Hawaii.
■Seventeen individuals wire transferred or mailed over $890,000 to DOYLE in Hawaii as deposits for “GO Zone” investments that were never built.
■Instead of preserving the money for potential refunding, DOYLE spent investor money on unrelated personal and business obligations including mortgage payments on his Kailua home and yachting expenses, according to the indictment.

For each of the wire and mail fraud counts, DOYLE faces a maximum period of imprisonment of 20 years, plus possible fines of up to $250,000 and terms of supervised release of up to three years. The court issued a penal summons for DOYLE to appear in federal court for arraignment An indictment is only an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Honolulu office of the FBI. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Larry Tong. The public is reminded that charges in an indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.