FBI arrests attorney for prominent Hawaii business as part of expanding corruption probe

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – There’s been one other arrest within the high-profile federal case towards former metropolis Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro, Hawaii Information Now has discovered.

Early Tuesday morning, the FBI moved in on lawyer Sheri Tanaka’s California dwelling, taking her into custody in reference to the alleged conspiracy.

Tanaka represents Mitsunaga & Associates, the engineering and architectural agency caught up within the public corruption scandal.

Tanaka was indicted final week Thursday by a federal grand jury.

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Hawaii Information Now was within the courtroom when the jury foreperson introduced the superseding indictment and Assistant U.S. Lawyer Michael Wheat requested the Justice of the Peace choose for an arrest warrant.

Tanaka was beforehand listed as co-conspirator 1 within the unique indictment handed down in June.

Kaneshiro and Dennis Mitsunaga, together with workers of Mitsunaga’s firm ― Terri Otani, Chad McDonald, and Aaron Fujii ― were charged with conspiracy and bribery.

In line with the indictment, the firm’s employees contributed nearly $50,000 to Kaneshiro’s re-election campaigns between 2012 and 2016. In trade, Kaneshiro allegedly prosecuted a former worker of Mitsunaga’s agency for against the law she didn’t commit.

The worker had sued the agency for discrimination.

A state choose finally dismissed the legal fees towards the previous worker for lack of possible trigger.

Data present that Tanaka wrote three letters to Kaneshiro’s workplace in 2013, one in January, February after which July accusing the previous worker of theft.

Hawaii Information Now has seen Tanaka many instances forward of the indictment on the federal courthouse for grand jury proceedings.

She acted because the consultant for all of the Mistunaga & Associates workers who have been referred to as to testify, together with those who’ve since been charged.

Tanaka made it recognized that she didn’t like information cameras or media reviews concerning the case.

“Whoever leaked the false info to Hawaii Information Now, and particularly you, Lynn Kawano, prejudiced the minds of the jurors, compromised the grand jury and did irreparable hurt to Mitsunaga & Associates,” she stated.

At a listening to Tuesday morning, Tanaka was not on the decision however attorneys for the opposite 5 defendants have been.

That they had not been offered the superseding indictment but however all maintained “not responsible” pleas on behalf of their shoppers. Trial is about for March.

Authorized specialists stated it’s extremely uncommon for a personal lawyer to be indicted together with the shoppers.

“The justice division must approve that,” stated retired federal public defender Alexander Silvert.

Tanaka can have a listening to in Los Angeles. Authorized specialists consider she will probably be allowed to publish bond after which fly to Hawaii to seem for court docket proceedings.

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