Posted on: Friday, December 7, 2001

Lee Cataluna
Jury duty a learning experience

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

They say when one door closes another one opens. And there it was, life's ironic symmetry playing out on the steps of the federal courthouse.

There was no remorse from Andy Mirikitani or the new Mrs. Mirikitani. No apology, no admission of guilt, no acceptance of responsibility. Nothing. The proceedings this week were all about attorneys for the Mirikitanis arguing for lighter sentences because of his stellar record of public service; because of her multiple health problems; because though he denied all charges on the stand, he swears he didn't lie; because, because, because. They even tried to bargain with the judge over which prisons they would be sent to. (Mrs. Mirikitani doesn't want to spend her year and nine months anywhere cold. She has arthritis.)

Mirikitani has done more than enough to make you lose hope in elected officials.

But as Mirikitani's once-promising career in public service came crashing to an end, a new voice rose up behind him:

"I hate white-collar crime. In some ways, it's worse than murder. It hurts more people. It hurts all of us."

Missy Sato is 21 but, in truth, looks even younger. She doesn't come close to standing 5 feet tall even in the lug-soled shoes she wore to court. At first glance, you might imagine she was there for a class project. A high school class project.

Sato served on the jury that convicted Mirikitani. Sato's fellow jurors recognized her leadership skills and intellect, and chose the full-time Leeward Community College student and part-time Papa John's Waipahu employee as their forewoman. Her commitment to the case meant she came to see Mirikitani's sentencing. As she left the courthouse, the security staff members called after her, "Hey, thanks for all your hard work! You're small, but you're powerful!" Sato just smiled.

She faced the cameras and reporters outside and let loose sound bites as swift and deadly as bullets:

"A public official should be held to a higher standard. They should serve the people, not serve themselves.

"Stay informed. Pay attention. If you see something wrong, stand up. The public doesn't realize that they have power, that they can step forward so things like this don't happen."

Sato sees law school in her future, perhaps a career as a prosecutor, maybe even a run for public office. She says she has wanted to study law since she was a child, and serving on the Mirikitani jury reaffirmed her path.

"I see myself fighting for justice," she said. "That's what I want to stand for."

And as one political career died an ugly death, there was a sense that perhaps a new one was born, that the hypothetical "one person" in the "even if one person learns from this ..." line was standing there in her big shoes shaking her head and vowing to do better.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com