The Latest: Sentencing postponed Hawaii concert scam

HONOLULU – 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 co-operated 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.