Maui PD won’t discuss allegations it owes forensic morgue contractor more than $270K

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Maui Police Department’s longtime forensic morgue contractor claims he’s owed more than a quarter-million dollars for postmortem services his company provided in the wake of the Lahaina disaster.

Greyson Abarra, owner of Grey Tech LLC, said he provided MPD with an invoice six months ago. When HNN Investigates asked the department if it planned to pay the bill, a MPD spokesperson didn’t answer our specific question.

For the past 12 years, Abarra has been contracted by the Maui Police Department to provide postmortem care for the island’s departed. In the hours after the fire ripped through Lahaina town, MPD called his company into action.

He says a deputy chief who is second in command of the department gave him a verbal OK to bring in additional manpower to assist his 14-person team with the recovery and transport of human remains.

RELATED STORY: Mishandling of human remains: Local forensic company breaks silence on Lahaina disaster response

Abarra says all total he’s owed more than $270,000.

When asked if MPD gave him a reason for not paying for the work, Abarra responded, “I’m told that any volunteers, which we had a lot of — our retired fire department personnel, captains, hazmat captains, drivers who came forward to assist. They’re ineligible for reimbursement.”

He explained while the 32 volunteers donated their time, the department is refusing to pay for the services they helped his company provide — as well as expenses that were incurred for things like hotel rooms and food.

“Everything that was supposed to be federally covered,” Abarra said.

On Thursday, HNN Investigates asked the Maui Police Department if and when it plans to pay Abarra, to which department spokesperson Alana Pico responded, “MPD is currently conducting a criminal investigation into Grey Tech LLC, no further information is available at this time.”

HNN Investigates

We asked MPD what criminal allegations were being made and when the investigation was opened — questions the department has not answered.

It was news that came as a surprise to Abarra, who said the department’s never mentioned anything about a criminal investigation to him.

Now, he believes it’s retaliation for exposing mistakes MPD made while recovering the remains of victims who died in the Lahaina fire. He said many protocols for the respectful and accurate recovery of victims were not followed.

A MPD report, along with interviews conducted by the Attorney General’s office as part of its Maui Wildfire Investigation, back up Abarra’s story.

Abarra says it wouldn’t be the first time MPD failed to pay its bills on time.

He says he went eight months without compensation for services he provided between July 2023 and February 2024.

One month after the Lahaina disaster, he says he provided MPD with a document asking the department to amend his current contract to cover services Grey Tech LLC provided in the wake of the fire.

Two months later, in November, he sent an email to MPD Chief John Pelletier, stating, “Invoices have gone unpaid since July services for both per usual services and emergency services. As this is urgent, I’ve put in 9 phone calls, 2 voicemails and several emails from October 19 to present. Invoice summary attached.”

Then in February, Abarra sent another email to MPD leadership, stating, “I need to have something in writing as services outside my current contract are still being requested and provided.” The email went on to say, “I understand this process is a lengthy one, as such, in good faith, I continue to provide these services to avoid interruptions and delay of operations.”

Abarra says it wasn’t until he filed a complaint with the state Ombudsman’s office that the department finally cut him a check for some of his work.

In June, the Maui Police Department terminated its contract with Grey Tech LLC, citing the convenience clause, a contractual provision that allows one party to terminate the agreement without cause or penalty.

Abarra is currently filing another complaint with the state Ombudman’s office in an effort to get paid the remainder of the money he says he’s owed. He added his books are open and he’s got nothing to hide.

In the meantime, he’s had to take out loans and says if he isn’t compensated soon he’s at risk of losing his company.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.