A Playboy model is accused of trying to bribe a Department of Homeland Security federal agent to convince a judge to release her gun-toting boyfriend from Honolulu’s Federal Detention Center.
Shannon Teresa Marie Schwartz was charged with one count of bribery of a public official and one count of obstruction of justice, according to a federal criminal complaint filed on March 18, obtained by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Schwartz allegedly offered the agent $5,000 to help him persuade the judge to release her boyfriend, Wilhelm Lewis Huntzinger, from federal custody after he was charged with being a felon in possession of 205 rounds of Remington .223-caliber ammunition.
The agent, referred to as Daniel K. in the court docs, claims he received “numerous missed calls, text messages and voicemails” from Schwartz on Feb. 21.
The “heart of gold” model — who posed in a bikini on the cover of Maxim New Zealand in December — allegedly told the agent that she was referred to him as someone who could “handle a situation” for a “high-profile inmate,” the outlet reported, citing court documents.
Schwartz allegedly told the agent she was trying to secure Huntzinger’s release and asked to meet with him so he could “see she was serious and could pay him.”
“I can help with whatever you need $ not sure what your services cost,” Schwartz allegedly texted the agent on Feb. 22.
Following the brazen inquiry, agent Daniel K. opened a formal investigation into Schwartz.
Schwartz allegedly continued to contact the agent despite informing her he could do nothing to help her secure her boyfriend’s release.
The agent eventually agreed to meet with Schwartz, who remained persistent in asking for help, on March 1 but told the model he would have to continue communicating with her on his personal phone, which was an undercover government device to monitor their conversations.
During a meeting between Schwartz and the agent on March 5, she allegedly offered to pay agent David K. $5,000 to ask a judge he was friends with to help aid the release of Huntzinger, offering half the money to ask and the other half upon her boyfriend’s release, according to the outlet.
Schwartz allegedly arranged a second meeting with agent David K. at the Inouye International Airport on March 7, where she handed the agent a white lunch bag with a soda cup inside, which reportedly contained “25 $100 bills for a total of $2,500.”
After exchanging the alleged bribe, the model reportedly offered agent David K. more money to ensure Huntzinger would not serve any jail time after Huntzinger’s release, according to the outlet.
Following the meeting, Schwartz was arrested and charged.
The US Department of Justice motioned to hold Schwartz without bail until her trial, but Judge Rom A. Trader denied the request, according to the outlet.
Schwartz was then released on a $25,000 unsecured bond on Monday, according to the outlet.
She was also barred from communicating with Huntzinger.
If found guilty, she faces up to 15 years in a federal person for the alleged bribe and up to one year for obstruction of justice, according to federal law.
Huntzinger has been in custody since Jan. 11, after Honolulu police arrested him in a car following calls that he was seen knocking on the door of a house with a pistol tucked into his belt, according to the outlet.
Police shared that they found a “ghost gun” style AR-15 rifle with no serial number or manufacturer, 205 rounds of ammunition — which 136 of the rounds were loaded into five magazines, an empty Sig Sauer pistol magazine, a grenade pin, 115 grams of a white substance believed to be crystal methamphetamine, 5 grams of a substance believed to be cocaine, and two scales, according to the outlet.
In a motion opposing Huntzinger’s request to be released ahead of trial, Special Assistant US Attorney Nicole Hudspeth shared that Schwartz was willing to deliver payments “to a federal agent in an attempt to manipulate court action.”
