Former Life’s Bridges Hawaiʻi official sentenced for stealing $44K from organization in 2023

A former official of a Kauaʻi nonprofit was sentenced July 31 to 90 days in jail and 4 years probation for stealing more than $44,000 from the organization 2 years ago.

Online court records show 61-year-old Joy Pigao of ʻEleʻele, a past board member and former executive director for Kauaʻi nonprofit Life’s Bridges Hawaiʻi, must also pay $34,195 in restitution as part of the sentence handed down by Lihue Circuit Court Judge Randal Valenciano.

Kauaʻi County prosecutor’s office reports Pigao stole about $44,195 through more than 40 separate transactions between July 8 and Nov. 3, 2023, while she worked with the nonprofit that provides bereavement support services and education about death, grief and suicide prevention.

Online court records show she pleaded not guilty Nov. 27, 2024, in Lihue Circuit Court to first-degree theft and was released after posting bond. She changed her plea May 22 of this year to no contest on the same charge.

First-degree theft is a Class B felony punishable by a maximum of up to 10 years in prison.

Kauaʻi County Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Like prosecuted the case. Attorney Craig De Costa defended Pigao. Valenciano was the presiding judge.

“The actions of Ms. Pigao dishonor the memory of the individuals served by Life’s Bridges and the survivors of tragedies here on Kauaʻi,” Like said in a release following Pigao’s sentencing Thursday. “We hope that this sentence prevents anyone else from being victimized.”

Life’s Bridges Director Gina Kaulukukui, who founded the nonprofit in 2007, said the organization works to meet the immediate needs of surviving family members after a sudden, unexpected and traumatic death.

“Joy Pigao did not just steal from me, Joy stole from our board of directors, our funders, but most of all, from the families we serve,” Kaulukukui said in the county prosecutor’s announcement. “Her goal was not to just take our money; her goal was to destroy our organization.”