Maui Police Officer Indicted for Deprivation of Civil Rights

HONOLULU - Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Carlos Frate, age 40, of Kihei, Hawaii, was arrested today on a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on January 16, 2025. An arraignment in federal court is set for January 22, 2025.

The indictment alleges that Frate, while acting under color of law as an officer of the Maui Police Department, deprived another person of the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by tasing that person without legal justification. The indictment also alleges that Frate falsified a police incident report with the intent to obstruct the investigation of the use of force.

If convicted of the charged offenses, the defendant would face up to ten years in prison on the deprivation of civil rights charge, and up to twenty years in prison on the false report charge.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The Maui Police Department made the initial referral to the federal government, and the charges resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Maui Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese.