A Hawaii woman accused of selling millions of dollars’ worth of foreign-grown coffee as “100% Kona” now faces four additional federal tax charges under a superseding indictment.
Patricia “Trish” Johnson pleaded not guilty Oct. 7 in U.S. District Court in Honolulu to the expanded 28-count indictment, which includes 16 counts of wire fraud, five counts involving monetary transactions in allegedly criminal proceeds, three counts of obstruction and four counts related to allegedly false federal income tax returns.
The four new charges involve Johnson’s federal tax returns for 2019 through 2022. According to court records reviewed by DCN, prosecutors allege Johnson understated gross receipts from her business and, in several of those years, reported false or inflated business expenses or costs.
In a statement to Daily Coffee News, Johnson’s attorney William Harrison of Honolulu-based Harrison Law Center said Johnson maintains her innocence.
“Ms. Johnson is innocent and has pleaded not guilty to these additional charges, just as she did to the original charges,” the comment read. “An indictment is merely an accusation, and adding counts does not strengthen the government’s case or establish guilt. Unfortunately, the addition of these charges will require a delay in the trial, which had been scheduled to begin on February 1, 2027. We look forward to our day in court, where the government will be required to prove its allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Until then, we will respect the judicial process and will not litigate this case in the media.”
The superseding indictment largely preserves the coffee-fraud allegations detailed in the government’s original September 2025 indictment, which alleged that Johnson knowingly bought foreign-grown coffee from mainland wholesalers and sold it as “100% Kona.”
Prosecutors allege that Johnson, the owner of Kona Coffee Café, sold the alleged foreign-grown coffee from 2012 through April 2024 in a cafe, in an online store and through Amazon. The indictment alleges that she also instructed employees to tell customers the coffee was 100% Kona.
The indictment alleges that Johnson purchased approximately 194,515 pounds of foreign green coffee from an Oakland-area wholesaler, paying approximately $494,029. Prosecutors allege none of that coffee was from Kona.
Three obstruction counts also remain unchanged. They accuse Johnson of attempting to influence people subpoenaed in the federal grand jury investigation, including by directing them to invoke their Fifth Amendment rights or providing instructions regarding what they should tell investigators or the grand jury.
The government continues to seek forfeiture of at least $5.26 million.
A jury trial is currently scheduled for Feb. 1, 2027, although the court has directed the parties to discuss a possible agreement to postpone the trial.
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