Posted on: Wednesday, July 11, 2001

Mirikitani shows up at Council

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser City Hall Writer

Convicted of stealing public money and offering bribes, Andy Mirikitani today took his seat on the City Council and became a dubious footnote in Honolulu history, becoming the first felon to serve in office.

Defying calls for his resignation, or that he at least not show up for the Council meeting, Mirikitani took his place just before 11 a.m.

Appearing relaxed and wearing a light gray suit, Mirikitani shook the hands of Council members Romy Cachola and Gary Okino as he entered the chamber. He answered "Present," when the roll was called but made no other comment.

The Council meeting was the first since Mirikitani's conviction last Tuesday in federal court. He is the only elected official in

Honolulu ever to be convicted of public corruption.

Mirikitani was convicted last week of six felonies. The public corruption charges are linked to a scheme in which he gave two former aides substantial bonuses so they would kick back a share of the money to him.

State law allows him to remain in office until sentencing, scheduled Dec. 4. Mirikitani said Monday that he won't resign, a decision that City Council members say puts the city in the uncomfortable position of having a corrupt official voting on important policy issues.

Federal officials say the five-month gap between conviction and sentencing has to do with the crowded court calendar and the time it takes to complete a detailed pre-sentence report.

Jud Watkins, chief deputy clerk for the U.S. District Court in Hawai'i, said the sentencing dates reflect the busy schedule of the federal judges. "Everyone should be assured that Mr. Mirikitani is receiving no special favors or consideration due to his position in the community," he said.

Because there is a vacancy for a federal judge, Watkins said, "what we're seeing is some delays across all courts because the workload of our judges is very high."

Watkins said sentencing dates tend to remain fairly firm and are not likely to be shifted. "Once a sentencing date is set, there has to be a pretty good reason for changing it," he said.

Elizabeth Taylor, Hawai'i's chief U.S. probation officer, said court rules call for probation officers to take at least three months to complete a detailed pre-sentence report. "It can't be any less than 14 weeks," Taylor said.

Taylor said the report includes background information on the case and the defendant, interviewing the defendant, a summary of the case and sentencing guidelines. "It really does take that long to do this kind of a detailed investigation and report and to allow input from both parties, both the defense and the government," she said.