Posted on: Friday, January 3, 2003

Robbery suspect will face federal charges

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Armed robbery suspect Jay Young Kwon, captured Sunday night in Pearl City, will be charged with a total of seven holdups that occurred between Thanksgiving Day and Dec. 28, police said.

Honolulu police Capt. Alan Arita, acting commander of the Criminal Investigation Division, confirmed yesterday that Kwon is facing federal prosecution on four counts for Hobbs Act violations pertaining to interference with interstate commerce by robbery.

Honolulu prosecutors, meanwhile, will charge Kwon with a total of three armed robberies of massage businesses, Arita said.

Kwon is being held at the O'ahu Community Correctional Center on a $100,000 state warrant charging him with armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from a Nov. 28 holdup at Stop Light Relaxation. Honolulu prosecutors plan to charge Kwon with robberies of Mahalo Relaxation and Pearl City Relaxation, which occurred Nov. 29 and Dec. 18, respectively, Arita said.

The federal cases against Kwon involve robberies at Black Pearl of Tahiti on Dec. 6, Ala Moana Comics Arcade on Dec. 15, Jewelry and Watch Collection on Dec. 20 and Happy Pawn on Dec. 28.

Arita described Kwon and Ted Esteban, who is in federal custody in connection with six robberies, as the "major players" in the December series of armed robberies on O'ahu. The two men were not working together, Arita said.