It may not seem like a logical link, but the scourge of illicit drugs is having a devastating side effect on some of Hawai'i's seniors.

Like with many other theft crimes in the state, financial fraud against the elderly often has a connection to drugs.

People feeding a drug habit are targeting Hawai'i's most vulnerable adults in growing numbers to help pay for their addictions — with sometimes violent outcomes, according to law enforcement officials, elderly advocates and others.

One recent example came in November, prosecutors say.

Mark S. Kawakami, an ice user, allegedly used a hatchet to kill his father and severely injure his mother a day after his father refused to give him money to buy drugs, according to court documents.

Kawakami, who has a history of mental illness, is awaiting trial on charges he murdered his father, Sueo Kawakami, attempted to murder his mother, Janet Kawakami, and threatened his older brother, Stanford Kawakami.

No statistics are available to show how frequently Hawai'i's seniors are victimized by people with substance abuse problems. But the FBI, U.S. attorney's office, prosecutors, elder advocates and others say that they are seeing more such cases.

Brandon Simpson, an FBI spokesman, said financial abuse of the elderly has become a significant problem in Hawai'i partly because of the crystal meth factor, a sentiment echoed by Ron Johnson of the U.S. attorney's office.

At a recent elder fraud conference on the Big Island, Fe Hoota, an Adult Protective Service specialist, told the audience about a drug-related case involving an adult son who threatened to burn down his parents' home with them in it if they didn't give him money, presumably to buy drugs. The parents were moved to another location for their safety.

Such addicts "look for anything they can do to get their money," Hoota said.

In 2003, Robert Hayes told police the stress of caring for his sick mother contributed to his heavy use of alcohol and drugs and he "took advantage" of that situation to forge his mother's signature on her checks, according to a police report on the case. Hayes pleaded guilty to theft, forgery and money laundering for stealing more than $500,000 from his mother. He was sentenced in March 2004 to six months imprisonment, five years probation and ordered to pay restitution.

A drug link also showed up in the case of Lance Evers, who ran a respite care program and, with another caregiver, stole thousands of dollars in 2000 and 2001 from an 88-year-old man in Evers' program. Evers told a psychologist in June 2004 that he had been using ice for the past five years, according to court documents.

Evers last year was convicted of theft and money laundering, sentenced to 105 days in jail and five years' probation. He was also ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution.

Marilyn Seeley, former state director of the Executive Office on Aging and now a consultant dealing with senior services, said elder parents often believe they can handle situations in which an addicted family member is demanding money.

But what they fail to understand is that the addict doesn't think normally and can easily go into a rage, according to Seeley.

"The parents don't realize all the boundaries are gone in this person's mind," she said.

Seeley recalled the case of her former boss, a longtime social worker on the Mainland, who was murdered at about the age of 70 by her drug-addicted son. Her former boss had studied abuse issues for years and believed she could handle her son's situation, Seeley said.

"Unfortunately, that wasn't the case."

Reach Rob Perez at rperez@honoluluadvertiser.com.