In the end, Gary Zamber didn’t become a rich man for his role in the Big Island affordable housing scandal. Over the roughly seven years that he and three other residents conspired to exploit a system meant to encourage developers to build affordable housing, Zamber pocketed about $177,000 — far less than his co-conspirators.
During his sentencing hearing on Friday, U.S. District Judge Jill Otake said she found Zamber to be the least culpable of the four men who fraudulently obtained almost $11 million worth of land and affordable housing credits. But she still held him heavily responsible, sentencing him to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release, highlighting the impact of his actions on affordable housing stock and the public’s trust in the government.
“This state is in a crisis regarding housing. You know that. I know you know that,” Otake said during Zamber’s sentencing hearing at the federal district court in Honolulu. “Crimes like this make affordable housing even less reachable.”…