Brother of Ex-Intelligence Director Charged With Attempted Child Luring at Honolulu Hotel

Honolulu authorities have filed charges against Batarti Gabbard, 55, the older brother of former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, in connection with an incident involving minors at a Waikīkī hotel. The July 12 encounter at a hotel pool area prompted the second-degree custodial interference charge following an investigation by Honolulu police.

According to law enforcement, Gabbard approached multiple children at the poolside location around 2 p.m., including a 9-year-old boy, and requested their names while recording them in a notebook. Police allege he then offered the children money and gum as incentives to accompany him to his hotel room, though the minors declined the requests and Gabbard departed the area.

A 42-year-old woman witness reported the incident to police. Gabbard was subsequently arrested on July 16 on an unrelated theft charge, to which he entered a not guilty plea Friday and was released pending an August 14 court appearance in that matter.

Tulsi Gabbard’s father, Hawaii state Senator Mike Gabbard, confirmed his son continues receiving medical and psychiatric care without addressing the specific allegations. “We love him, and asked him to follow the protocol at the hospital, which he says he will do,” Mike Gabbard stated. Honolulu police confirmed Gabbard is no longer in custody.