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The CEO of a Hawaiian shipbuilding company, Curtiss E. Jackson, 70, was arrested as he tried to flee the island of Oahu in a boat filled with fuel, stocked with food and loaded with about $30,000 in cash.
Jackson had previously been arrested last month, on December 24, on suspicion of defrauding Semisub investors of approximately $30 million from more than 400 investors with the help of his business partner and wife Jamey Denise Jackson, 59.
He is accused of misusing a significant portion of the millions he raised from investors earmarked for his semi-transparent bottom boat project, but instead used the cash on personal luxuries.
Photos of star advertiser Photographer Cindy Ellen Russell shows him being escorted out of his own boat with his hands cuffed behind his back as two armed federal marshals and members of the US Coast Guard lead him away.
Curtiss E. Jackson, 70, was arrested by US Marshals after the US Coast Guard seized his Semisub One vessel
Federal authorities on Friday arrested the fugitive owner of a Hawaiian shipbuilding company who tried to flee Hawaii on his boat before his hearing.
Jackson was considered a fugitive after he tried to escape, but was forced to turn back by the Coast Guard. Jackson, who faces federal securities fraud charges, fled with the boat Wednesday but was arrested Friday.
Curtiss E. Jackson, 70, of Honolulu, was arrested on suspicion of defrauding Semisub investors. of nearly $30 million
He faced federal charges of securities fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years.
On January 4, the federal pretrial agency Pretrial Services received a tip that Jackson planned to flee before his trial and alerted the US Marshals and US Coast Guard.
Federal officials rushed to the port to stop Jackson from leaving, but upon arrival discovered both the ship and Jackson were missing according to Hawaii news now.
An arrest warrant was issued for him and he was considered a fugitive. after the Marshals discovered that Jackson’s slip in Honolulu was empty.
Marshals requested the help of the US Coast Guard Investigative Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement in locating the vessel.
Jackson was arrested Friday morning after he was forced to return to Oahu and dock to seek help with a problem with his rickety boat.
But after fixing the problem, he decided to try to run away once more.
Authorities finally caught up with him and his boat early Friday morning and brought him back to shore.
He was taken into custody and returned to Oahu without incident, and is now being held at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu pending his court appearance.
Jackson, on his boat in handcuffs after the Coast Guard seized the boat.
Jackson was originally arrested on December 24, 2022 on federal charges related to securities fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. He was later released on pretrial release pending trial date, but seemed to make an attempt to get a feel for the state of the island.
“The brother took this boat by himself without really knowing how to drive a boat, not to mention not knowing how to get the GPS to work,” Kalahele, a certified Coast Guard captain told the Star Advertiser.
“I just couldn’t figure out where I was in relation to where I needed to be,” Kalahele said. She was on the other side, around the corner, on the Barbers Point side; but he thought that he was facing the South Coast, but he was further to the west. He was a bit lost.
“I was a little nervous,” Kalahele said. ‘After a long night we finally made it.’
One of the boat’s two engines was malfunctioning and on board the boat, the boat was it is said to be full of junk, tools and various pink polo shirts for a non-existent crew.
On the top deck of the boar were said to be five bags of Whole Foods bagels, various canned goods, ketchup, and two boxes of cream sandwich biscuits, along with 12 packets of Maruchan instant ramen and a cup of noodles.
One of the ships two engines malfunctioned and aboard the ship was said to have been junk, tools and several pink polo shirts for a non-existent crew.
In terms of supplies for their trip to nowhere, there were 400 ‘classic and mild’ American Spirit cigarettes, half a dozen containers of Whole Foods brand organic cinnamon applesauce, three apple bananas and a bag of clementines, all in the Captain’s wheelhouse.
Upstairs were five bags of Whole Foods bagels, various canned goods, ketchup and two boxes of cream sandwich cookies, along with 12 packages of Maruchan instant ramen and a cup of noodles.
In the bathroom were a toothbrush, a disposable razor, a plastic comb, and a washcloth.
‘That really stood out for us, you know. We have never had to go looking for someone in the sea. He was alone with no direction,” officials involved in Jackson’s capture told KOIN.
Jackson and his wife Jamey Denise Jackson were charged with selling securities to investors with the promise of creating a fleet of tourist boats.
After sailing back out to sea, Jackson was found and arrested for violating the terms of his pretrial release.
The alleged scheme took place over the course of a decade in which they raised money for a prototype boat with a partially transparent hull to observe marine life.
The pair would continually try to assure investors that their prototype ship would be launched very soon.
But it all appears to have simply been part of the ruse, and instead the couple allegedly misused a significant amount of the funds for their own benefit and used the money to pay for personal expenses such as luxury homes, expensive vacations with psychics , drug addiction with marijuana. -final vehicles, including a Mercedes-Benz and personal credit card bills, the Department of Justice wrote.
Jackson had previously been released on $50,000 bail in October under the strict conditions of remaining on Oahu, not contacting anyone involved in the case, refraining from drug use and abiding by a curfew.
However, prosecutors tried to detain Jackson before his trial, citing concerns that he might go on the run and pose a risk to his wife and investors, as he had already violated the terms of his release by asking investors for money and assaulting his wife. son.