Honolulu police are investigating allegations that a University of Hawai'i professor tried to bilk a local pet care professional out of more than $6,000 by forging demand letters and other legal correspondence.

Police received a complaint at the Wahiawa police station on Tuesday alleging that the professor of social work, Eric Youn, invented a law firm called Harper Test and Wu, an attorney named Jason Kim, and an O'ahu circuit court judge named Ronald Shigawa as part of a scheme to bilk the local franchise owner of Minnesota-based animal care company Pets Are Inn out of $6,500.

Youn admitted in an interview with The Advertiser yesterday that he did invent the lawyer, the law firm and the judge.

Youn said his dog's hair started falling out after he left it in the care of franchise owner Babs Poei and that he was trying to scare Poei into paying for his dog's treatment.

"I regret these actions and I admit to them," Youn said. "I just didn't feel like hiring an attorney. Instead of calling a lawyer and setting up a case I made up a lawyer and invented a court case."

A civil case regarding the allegations has already been resolved.

Rather than go to court and submit to a deposition, Youn agreed to pay Poei and her attorneys $22,930 to settle the civil case, according to court documents.

But the agreement Youn signed did not prevent Poei from pressing criminal charges.

"If he could do this to me, he could do this to anyone," Poei said. "He wanted $6,500 and then he kept threatening me. He kept sending me these letters and e-mails he said were from his lawyer."

Poei is represented by attorneys with the Honolulu firm Kobayashi Sugita and Goda.

Youn left his dog in the care of Pets Are Inn from June 2 to July 3, and paid the company $1,039.90.

Upon picking up his dog July 4, he called Poei and claimed his dog Gabriel had "hot spots" and demanded his money back, according to court documents produced in the civil case between Poei and Youn.

That same day, Poei received an e-mail from jason@harpertestandwu.com, demanding a refund.

If no refund was provided, "Jason Kim" threatened to report Poei to the franchise's home office in Minnesota.

Poei paid Youn $500, but soon received a series of e-mails, purportedly from "Jason Kim" and Youn, demanding $539.90 more and threatening further legal action.

Finally, on July 30, Poei received a letter from "Jason Kim," stating that "legal action has been sanctioned against your place of business" and saying that a settlement claim was submitted to the "District Court of the State of Hawaii, First Circuit Office of Records" for $6,500.

A court date was set for Aug. 14 at 9 a.m. in front of the "Hon. Ronald Shigawa" in Court Three at Ka'ahumanu Hale, 777 Punchbowl St.

According to the Hawai'i State Judiciary, courtroom three at Ka'ahumanu Hale is occupied by O'ahu circuit court Judge Michael D. Wilson.

According to the office of the city prosecutor, possible offenses committed while impersonating an attorney in an attempt to defraud another individual include: