‘HNL Swindler’ Arrested In California

The man who has become known locally as the “HNL Swindler” has been caught in California.

Quan “David” Hoang Vu, who was given the tongue-in-cheek nickname by a woman who says she briefly dated him, was wanted on identity theft and theft charges in California and credit card fraud charges in Virginia. He is also accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a dentist in Honolulu.

Vu, 32, was arrested by the Irvine Police Department in Newport Beach, Calif., on Wednesday afternoon. He was walking with a woman when officers approached him and arrested him, said Kyle Oldoerp, a public information officer with the Irvine Police Department.

He is charged with identity theft and grand theft in connection with a scheme he allegedly orchestrated at an Orange County dental office in 2025.

Civil Beat Investigation: ‘HNL Swindler’: California Man Accused Of Scams On Oʻahu

The Orange County dentist, Monique Sison-Aweau, told Civil Beat that Vu stole $18,000 from her practice after coming into her office for a half-day interview last year. Sison-Aweau paid him $200 for the half-day but later started noticing charges on her company account that she hadn't made. After reporting the incident to police, she learned Vu had used the routing and account numbers from the check she'd given him to pay off an American Express card.

A Honolulu dentist has also accused Vu of stealing from his practice. Dr. Kyrell Wright told Civil Beat that Vu would offer discounts to patients who paid cash, then keep the cash and erase the procedure from the patients' medical records. Wright estimates Vu stole at least $80,000 from his practice. Wright reported Vu to the Honolulu Police Department, but no charges have been filed against Vu in Hawaiʻi.

In a phone call with Civil Beat in October, Vu had denied knowing either of the dentists and claimed that the warrant in Orange County was for someone who shared his name, but was several decades older.

Vu did not respond respond to a voicemail and text sent to him Thursday.

'A Real Pain In The Molars'

Social media posts about Vu, who was recently living in a condo at Victoria Place in Kakaʻako with his dog, Cupcake, went viral after Honolulu resident Dominique Bird posted about him on TikTok. Bird said Vu left Cupcake in her care while he went on a business trip to California. When he returned from the trip, he told Bird that he'd been involved with another woman. She claimed he also didn't pay her back for food she'd bought for Cupcake.

The posts became an unexpected forum for people in both California and Hawai‘i saying they had been unable to get help from local law enforcement or had thought they were the only ones who had run into trouble with Vu.

Bird said a person close with Vu and his current girlfriend told her that Vu and the girlfriend were planning a trip to Disneyland to attend the "Oogie Boogie Bash," a Halloween-themed event at the amusement park. She called California police who were eventually able to locate him, the girlfriend and Cupcake, walking down the street in Newport Beach.

"Cupcake was the one that gave him away," she said.

Irvine police summarized Vu's arrest in a Facebook post.

"This guy was a real pain in the molars for law enforcement. Posing as a dental office professional, he allegedly drilled his way into dentists’ offices across the country, swindling thousands of dollars while working for people he was supposed to be helping," the post says. "After pulling off his nationwide scheme, he tried to escape the pressure by retreating to Hawaii for a little island time."

Irvine police also noted that Cupcake was allowed to go home with the girlfriend.

Bird, who said she dated Vu for about three months, originally posted her videos as a warning for other women who might meet Vu on Tinder. Vu told Civil Beat the two were just friends.

Bird said Thursday night she was relieved to hear of Vu's arrest and happy that others had come forward to share their own experiences with him.

"My stomach dropped," she said of the moment she heard he'd been arrested. "I'm proud of everyone, the people who've been brave in this ordeal in speaking out."

In addition to his charges in Orange County, Vu had been charged in Honolulu with indecent exposure in May — an incident that he told Civil Beat was the result of a neighbor filming him through his apartment windows. He initially pleaded not guilty, records show, but after prosecutors reduced the charge to disorderly conduct, Vu changed his plea and paid a $100 fine.

Bird filed for a temporary restraining order against Vu on Wednesday. In the application she filed with the First Circuit Court in Honolulu, she wrote that over the course of the last month, Vu had sent her more than 20 texts per day that were unwanted and sexual in nature. The texts included pictures of his penis and of himself masturbating.

"He incessantly asked me to send him nude pictures of myself, which I declined," she wrote. "I am in fear of him showing up to my workplace, continuing to call my workplace and affecting my personal safety and employment/way of living."

She also wrote that he had previously owned firearms, though she did not know if he currently has them.

A judge granted the temporary restraining order on Wednesday.

Vu is scheduled to be arraigned in Santa Ana, Calif., on Friday morning. He is currently being held in the custody of the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Civil Beat requested a copy of his mugshot but did not receive it on Thursday.