A federal judge ruled today that the trial of the man accused of scamming the University of Hawaii into paying for a fake Stevie Wonder concert has to stick in the Aloha State, according to the Associated Press. 

The alleged scammer, Marc Hubbard, had made a motion to move his trial to either North Carolina, where he’s from, or Florida on the grounds that the amount of negative publicity surrounding the Wonder Blunder makes it impossible for him to get a fair trial. Hubbard’s attorney, William Harrison, also argued that the trial’s location in Hawaii is too inconvenient for many of the witnesses who live out-of-state or overseas, AP reports.

But U.S. Attorney Les Osborne said Hawaii isn’t any less convenient a location than the East Coast is considering most of the out-of-state witnesses live in California. He also suggested that the negative Wonder Blunder publicity hasn’t centered specifically on Hubbard.

Judge Leslie Kobayashi ultimately denied Hubbard’s motion, reasoning that “the publicity hasn’t risen to a level of widespread animosity toward Hubbard,” according to the AP. 

Hubbard is accused of swindling $200,000 out of the university by claiming to have connections with Stevie Wonder. The university, which was poised to host the concert as a fundraiser for the UH athletics department, made the $200,000 deposit and began selling tickets before learning that the arrangement was a scam.

Photo: Marc Hubbard mug shot (Screenshot from KITV.com)

— Alia Wong