One of the world’s richest men could not get away with speeding — even on the Hawaiian island that he owns.
Billionaire tech mogul Larry Ellison admitted to breaking the law after being pulled over by a traffic cop on the island of Lanai for speeding and running a stop sign, according to bodycam footage released this week.
Ellison, the Oracle co-founder and world’s sixth richest man with a net worth valued by Forbes at $108.3 billion, was driving his orange Corvette near Manele Road’s last October when a traffic officer pulled him over.
“The reason I stopped you is you ran through the stop sign and you were kind of speeding there,” the officer is heard telling Ellison. The footage was first obtained by the news site Hawaii News Now.
“If I was, I’m sorry,” responded Ellison, who snapped up some 98% of the Lanai’s properties for $300 million more than a decade ago.
The officer then asked Ellison: “Any reason why in particular?”
“I was trying to get home for dinner with my kids but there’s no excuse,” Ellison replied. “There’s no good excuse.”
The officer replied: “Okay, cool. Can I see your driver’s license, registration, and insurance, please?”
Ellison searched through his belonging for a couple of minutes. He then told the officer that he did not have his license on him.
The officer from the Maui Police Department, which patrols Lanai, issued Ellison a citation.
The Post has sought comment from Pulamu Lanai, Ellison’s holding company whose portfolio includes the properties on the island.
Gabe Johnson, a local lawmaker, praised the officer for enforcing the law against the man who is for all intents and purposes his landlord.
“Some communities, as we all know, have let the elites just run wild,” Johnson, a Maui city councilmember who represents Lanai, told Hawaii News Now.
“To have one of our own police officers actually treat him like an equal just as everyone should be treated equally under the eyes of the law — I’m proud to say, ‘Nice job, MPD,’” he said.
Ellison has butted heads with local officials in several incidents the past year.
Last month, Ellison’s plan to foot the $5 million bill to expand the runway of Lanai’s lone airport aroused local opposition from critics who say it will benefit wealthy private jet-owners while bringing more noise pollution to the island.
In August, a Lanai resident who classified himself as a “disabled Native Hawaiian veteran” accused Ellison’s holding company of blocking his access to a local beach.
The complaint filed by Russell deJetley prompted local authorities to threaten Ellison with fines if he did not open up public access to a park and gate near the popular Hulupoe Beach Park.
A representative for Pulama Lanai told local media that the gate was shut in order to deal with flooding that was caused by massive swells in July — a claim that was rejected by DeJetley. He said that access to the area was blocked even after floodwaters subsided.
Earlier last year, Bloomberg News quoted several local residents in Lanai who complained about the soaring cost of living, which they say was exacerbated by Ellison’s property acquisitions.
Since taking control of the 90,000-acre island, Lanai has seen small businesses disappear while high-end restaurants like Nobu cater to an uber-wealthy clientele.