A Hawaiian man faces up to five years in prison for using Robert Allenby’s credit cards after the Australian golfer was robbed and beaten in Honolulu last January.
Owen Harbison was arrested in February on charges of identity theft, attempted theft and unauthorized possession of confidential personal information.
As part of a plea deal, Harbison has agreed to a five-year prison sentence, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Delaplane. Sentencing is scheduled for August 12.
Harbison used Allenby’s credit and ID cards at various Honolulu establishments to purchase gift cards, clothing and jewelry, as well as liquor and boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, said Delaplane, who did not report the total amount spent.
Delaplane added, “I have spoken to Allenby about the plea agreement and he is agreeable.”
It is still unclear what happened to Allenby after he left the Amuse Wine Bar. Harbison is the only person who has been arrested in connection with the case.
The news generated great interest when Allenby took a photo of his eroded and bloodied face and posted it on his Facebook page after he had returned to his hotel. He first claimed he was beaten, robbed and thrown from a car.
Earlier, a panhandler told a local newspaper that Allenby was injured when he hit his head on a rock.
“I was with a friend, we paid for the drink and he went to the bathroom. The next thing I remember is waking up in a wasteland miles away from the bar we were at,” Allenby said.
The golfer suffered cuts to his nose and forehead and had bruises around one eye.
His caddie, Mick Middlemo, told local television that Allenby woke up dazed and with no memory of what had happened to him.
Allenby, 43, is ranked 271st in the world and has won four titles on the elite PGA Tour.
The Australian golfer said in a text message that he will not make a statement on the matter until the sentence is issued.
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