Edmond Abordo of Honolulu was arrested by the FBI today for forging the signature of U.S. Chief District Judge Derrick K. Watson in order to trick a woman into paying him thousands of dollars for bogus legal services. Abordo, who claimed to be a legal expert, convinced the victim to file a federal lawsuit challenging foreclosure of her home. Nearly each time that Abordo met with the victim, he demanded a cash payment of $1,000 to $3,000 dollars.

According to the indictment, Abordo used the forged signature and a federal court seal to create a phony court order, which he then used to prove to the victim that he’d pulled her Ewa Beach, Hawaii, home out of foreclosure. After convincing the victim that the federal judge assigned to the lawsuit had awarded her possession of her home, he asked for additional payments.

In reality, the victim’s home had already been lost to foreclosure and the federal lawsuit had been dismissed months earlier. The victim, believing Abordo had a real court order, paid him thousands of dollars in exchange for the forged court order.

The forged court order was a two-page document titled “Order Granting Plaintiff’s Motion For Adverse Possession Pursuant HRS § 657-31.5 Adverse Possession and 43 U.S. Code § 1068 Lands Held in Adverse Possession.” The document contained the caption of the federal lawsuit as well as the purported signature of U.S. District Judge Watson, and the seal of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.

Abordo assured the victim that the forged court order was a genuine court document and that the judge’s signature on the forged order was genuine, but it was all a lie.

The case was initiated when the Clerk's Office of the District Court, District of Hawaii learned of the forged court order containing the signature and seal of U.S. Chief District Judge Derrick K. Watson. The FBI began investigating and arrested Abordo in Honolulu.

Edmond Abordo was arraigned on the indictment by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendal Newman and entered a plea of not guilty. Judge Newman detained Abordo temporarily and ordered him to appear before U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill on January 19, 2023, at 9 a.m. for a motion hearing.

“We will always act to protect the integrity of the court and seek justice for victims of fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman of the Southern District of California. Grossman applauded the work of the prosecution team and the FBI in this matter.

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