Fugitive Hawaiʻi CEO attempts to flee islands via boat

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Curtiss E. Jackson, 71, of Honolulu, Hawai’i was arrested last year on suspicion that he and business partner Jamey Denise Jackson, 59, defrauded investors of the Semisub, Inc. business of $30 million.

On Dec. 24, Jackson was arrested on federal charges related to securities fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud.

On Friday, Jan. 6, the U.S. Marshal Service and the U.S. Coast Guard said they captured Jackson attempting to flee from O’ahu on a fully fueled boat that was stocked with cash and provisions for a long sea voyage.

U.S. Marshals and the U.S. Coast Guard were tipped off by Pretrial Services, a federal agency that supervises federal pretrial release defendants.

Upon capture, Jackson was arrested for violating the terms of pretrial release.

Pretrial Services was tipped on Jan. 4 that Jackson was going to attempt to flee before his trial. A federal warrant was issued once U.S. Marshals arrived at Jackson’s boat’s slip, located at Kewalo Basin, to find that it was gone along with Jackson.

“That really stood out to us, you know. We have never had to go get someone at sea. He was by himself with no direction,” said officials involved with the hunt.

This attempt classified Jackson as a fugitive, according to the Coast Guard and Marshals.

With Jackson in the wind, the Marshals enlisted the help of the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement to locate him.

Once the BOLO was issued for the state of Hawai’i, the Coast Guard deployed water and air resources to locate the boat.

At approximately 2 a.m. today, Dec. 6, the Coast Guard notified the U.S. Marshals that Jackson had returned to O’ahu to redock in order to gain assistance from a crew because he was having an issue with his boat.

Jackson then sailed back out to sea after the boat problems had been resolved.

It was at 7:30 a.m. that the Coast Guard and Marshals finally located and arrested Jackson. He was found off the coast at Barber’s Point. Jackson and his boat were returned to O’ahu without incident.

Jackson was returned to the Federal Detention Center located in Honolulu pending his court appearance.