The News

The Latest: Sentencing postponed Hawaii concert scam

HONOLULU (AP) — The Latest on the sentencing of a man who prosecutors say scammed the University of Hawaii out of $200,000 for a Stevie Wonder concert that never happened (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

Sentencing has been postponed again for a man who pleaded guilty in a Stevie Wonder concert scam.

Marc Hubbard was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday. His lawyer William Harrison asked that the hearing be postponed so he and his client can review a pre-sentence report prepared by probation officials. A judge rescheduled sentencing for April 6.

Hubbard pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2016, saying he lied about his ability to secure Wonder for a fundraising concert. In 2012, the University of Hawaii paid a $200,000 deposit then began selling tickets before learning that neither Wonder nor his representatives had authorized a show.

Thousands of ticket purchases had to be refunded, causing embarrassment for the school and prompting investigations.

Hubbard’s sentencing has been postponed several times.

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10:20 a.m.

A North Carolina man who prosecutors say scammed the University of Hawaii out of $200,000 by lying about his ability to secure Stevie Wonder for a fundraiser concert will be sentenced Wednesday.

The sentencing comes nearly a year-and-a-half after Marc Hubbard pleaded guilty to wire fraud. His sentencing has been postponed several times. The day before his sentencing was scheduled last month, he filed a motion asking to take back his guilty plea.

He says he’s innocent and was coerced into pleading guilty because he feared prosecutors would reveal he cooperated against East Coast mobsters. Prosecutors deny that, and a judge rejected his request.

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors will recommend his sentence run concurrently with the six-years he’s serving for a similar Pennsylvania case.