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John Waihee III
John D. Waihee III (born May 19, 1946) is a former governor of Hawaii. He served as the fourth Governor of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994. He also served as the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii from 1982 to 1986.
Noteworthy events
Funeral home failure allegations
Waihee faced some public criticism after a lawsuit was filed in 2010 alleging Waihee’s role in the 2004 financial failure of Hawaii’s largest group of funeral homes and cemeteries. State Attorney General Mark Bennett accused former Gov. John Waihee and others of diverting tens of millions of dollars from 50,000 RightStar Hawaii customers.[1]
A court hearing on the new charges set for October 18, 2010, was delayed indefinitely because one of Waihee’s co-defendants in the case filed bankruptcy papers the week prior. The bankruptcy was filed by attorney Reed B. Rohrer, who served as co-trustee with Waihee and two other men from 2001 to 2004 for millions of dollars held for RightStar customers in “pre-need” and “perpetual care” trust accounts.[2]
Comerica Bank and Trust, the new trustee for RightStar customer accounts, said that Waihee, Rohrer, and the other trustees, as well as RightStar principals, “wrongfully withdrew and invested more than $40 million from the trusts.”[3]
In 2012, Waihee and his associates agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle the claims.[2]
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Honolulu Advertiser, "Audit: RightStar short $22.6M," February 16, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hawaii Reporter, "Former Governor Waihee, Three Others Agree To Pay $1.3 Million Legal Settlement," August 15, 2012
- ↑ "Exclusive: New Allegations Surface Regarding Former Gov. Waihee’s Role in Financial Failure of Hawaii’s Largest Group of Funeral Homes," Hawaii Reporter, October 19, 2010
