Hawaii Sheriffs Trainer Pleads Not Guilty To Criminal Charges
J. Marte Martinez is accused of lying about her educational background. A trial is set for June.
J. Marte Martinez, the head of training for Hawaii’s public safety officers, pleaded not guilty Thursday to 14 criminal counts alleging that she lied to officials about her educational background.
A criminal complaint filed against Martinez accuses her of perjury, a Class C Felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Prosecutors also brought a dozen other criminal counts including tampering with a government record and making false statements. Those are all misdemeanors.
Martinez is accused of lying to officials on various job applications made with the state Department of Public Safety, including the application for her current position as head of training for the department.
She perjured herself, prosecutors allege, when she told the Hawaii Labor Relations Board in 2019 that she earned a degree from the University of Northern Virginia and provided investigators with official transcripts from the colleges she purportedly attended.
Martinez, who is still employed with the department, earns between $95,988 and $159,708 in her role as the public safety training officer, according to Civil Beat’s salary database.
Martinez was arrested April 7 and released after posting an $11,000 bond. Her trial is set for June 13 before First Circuit Court Judge Faauuga Tootoo.
