Big Island identity theft, fraud defendant gets 10-year prison term

A Hilo judge has sent Christopher Amador-Nascimento to prison for 10 years after prosecutors said he used stolen identities to open credit cards, make unauthorized purchases and move stolen money through bank accounts.

The 33-year-old was sentenced March 23 in Hilo Circuit Court, where the judge ordered the prison terms on each offense to run concurrently. Amador-Nascimento had pleaded guilty Oct. 16, 2025, to computer fraud in the second degree and identity theft in the second degree in Case No. 3CPC-25-90, along with first-degree theft in Counts 3, 7, 27, 35, 39 and 43 and second-degree identity theft in Counts 11, 14, 17, 20, 22, 25, 30, 31, 32 and 33 in Case No. 3CPC-25-279.

The crimes unfolded between August 2024 and January 2025, according to police reports. Investigators said the scheme included opening fraudulent credit card accounts using victims’ personal information, making unauthorized credit card transactions, and depositing stolen funds into accounts before withdrawing the money. That pattern is the kind of fraud that can leave local residents chasing down unexplained charges, disputed withdrawals and new accounts they never opened.

First-degree theft, second-degree computer fraud and second-degree identity theft are all Class B felonies in Hawaii, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Because the sentences ran together, the court imposed a single 10-year term rather than stacking the penalties. Under Hawaii law, county prosecutors handle economic crimes such as theft, forgery, credit card fraud and identity theft, cases that often force victims to repair credit files, close accounts and contest charges tied to someone else’s name.

The felony investigation was led by the Area I Juvenile Aid Section of the Hawaii Police Department, and the case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Jefferson Malate and Woodrow Pengelly. Anyone with information about the case was urged to call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300. For Hilo and the wider Big Island, the case is a reminder that identity theft often starts with a single unfamiliar card, charge or withdrawal, then spreads quickly through a victim’s finances.