Louie
HONOLULU (Legal Newsline) - Hawaii Attorney General David M. Louie is handling an investigation into a possible internal security breach at the state tax department, the Governor's Office said Thursday.
"To the extent that any wrongful activity has taken place, anyone who has participated in or has had knowledge of these activities that date back to at least 2008 will be brought to account," Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in a statement.
"The Department of Taxation and the Department of the Attorney General will be taking the necessary actions as deemed appropriate."
Louie, who was appointed earlier this year to a four-year term by the governor, is now tasked with looking at allegations of breaches at the tax department dating back several years.
According to a local TV station, the department said it discovered the breaches, starting in 2008, during a security systems and controls audit.
The department's computer tax database was a target, it told KHON2-TV.
Some department staff members already have been put on administrative leave until the investigation is complete, the station reported.
Right now, state officials do not know if any funds are missing as a result of the breaches, or if any confidential personal or business information has been exposed.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.