Ticket scam defrauding Hawaii tourists visiting USS Arizona Memorial

USSAZ
USSAZ
Avatar of Linda Hohnholz
Written by Linda Hohnholz

In Hawaii a must-go visit for tourists is to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, drawing nearly 1.8 million tourists a year. It’s a federal park and tickets are limited, but complimentary.

In Hawaii a must-go visit for tourists is to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, drawing nearly 1.8 million tourists a year. It’s a federal park and tickets are limited, but complimentary.

Hawaii has always been a US State where everything works different from the rest of the country. Important here is who you know, who you are related with and who you play golf with.

Free tickets under demand can be a lucrative scam to make some money on the side in selling such tickets. A top park manager, Frank Middleton, was described as being friends with the head of a tour company, playing golf with him – and working only from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. every day.

Selling free tickets is illegal, but anyone at the park service mentioning it were told “to mind their own business.”

A report today in Hawaii’s local daily newspaper, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reveals more background on a late 2013 park service law enforcement “briefing statement” that looked at “improper tour ticket distribution” at the visitor center.

It concluded that commercial tour companies were supposed to reserve free Arizona Memorial tickets online, but were receiving a “large number” of tickets at the park itself, which were supposed to be for walk-up visitors who didn’t have reservations.

Carlton Kramer, vice president of marketing for Pacific Historic Parks, a nonprofit that supports the Arizona Memorial, received stacks of those tickets daily and delivered some to the audio tour desk, where they were sold for $7 as part of an audio tour, according to the briefing statement.

Walk-up tickets were supposed to be distributed only by the park service, the report said. Kramer also passed out walk-up tickets to drivers working for commercial tour companies, the review found.

“The NPS is aware of what is happening,” an unnamed investigator said.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser first reported on the Arizona Memorial ticketing controversy in May.

The watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, based in Washington, D.C., sought NPS documents through the federal Freedom of Information Act.

The NPS initially withheld the documents, claiming it had the legal right to do so, but PEER appealed and subsequently received the reports with redacted portions.

Dated Nov. 12, 2013,a report said a tour company operator was in the parking lot selling tickets for $30, and that one tourist paid $89 for the supposedly free tickets.

The report said, “Employees reported sharing their concerns with Frank Middleton (described as overseeing the NPS ticketing and reservation system), but are told to mind their own business.”

Hamilton said he spoke to 38 employees and two Pacific Historic Parks board members.

Why tickets were given to the tour groups, and what benefits were received in exchange, was not explained.

Paul DePrey, Arizona Memorial superintendent, was characterized as being an absentee landlord, meanwhile.

In most cases, the report said, park employees did not know where DePrey was when he was working, and “the Hawaii regional office reports having received numerous calls from the park looking for him.”

Several people asked DePrey about what was happening with the tickets, and DePrey “told them to mind their own business and referred them to Ranger Middleton,” the law enforcement report said.

Yet another park service investigation in late January found the park had no policies or standards for ticketing operations, providing “ample opportunity for abuse.”

A “bazaar-like” atmosphere existed with commercial tour operators working inside the visitor center to pick up, exchange, barter and purchase tickets.

Further investigation was recommended into allegations of gifts being accepted from the tour operators.

On top of the ticketing scandal, the visitor center fell into disrepair due to a lack of maintenance just a few years after a $56 million renovation.

The Hamilton report also said “there were numerous issues raised in regard to employee morale. It is safe to say that it is very low and there are no signs of it improving.”

Arizona Memorial tickets are supposed to be free. The only charge is a $1.50 convenience fee collected by Recreation.gov to cover administration of an online reservation system.

Some companies charge $75 to $120 for a USS Arizona Memorial and around-Oahu tour, respectively.

In 2013, more than 700 tickets a day sometimes were withheld from the walk-up batch out of the 4,350 total tickets that were available, investigators previously determined.

In July the park began to offer a limited number of reservable next-day tickets for individuals only, and not for commercial tour operators, Dalby said in September.

Meetings also were held with commercial operators “to discuss the issues and potential solutions, and since then the park has issued commercial services notices to tour operators clarifying park policies related to ticketing and commercial operations,” Dalby said at the time.

He added that the park also was updating the language in the permits issued to commercial operators “to better reflect park policies related to ticketing and standards for conduct within the park.”

Approximately half of all tickets for the USS Arizona issued each day were also being made available on a walk-up, first-come first-served basis, he said.

Current and past park employees continue to express frustration with operations at the Arizona Memorial.

The Hamilton report from late 2013 said employees didn’t expect real change.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...