Posted at 11:35 a.m., Friday, December 27, 2002
Hearing sought in donations case
Advertiser Staff
Two people connected with a major Honolulu engineering firm were arraigned in District Court today on misdemeanor charges of making political donations to Mayor Jeremy Harris under false names.Attorney David Hall appeared on behalf of defendants Warren Sato and June Takushi but asked that a hearing be set for early February to enter pleas. Hall would not discuss the case.
Sato is a project engineer for SSFM International Inc., and Takushi is the wife of company vice president Lee Takushi. Company officers Clayton Wong and Norman Kawachika have been charged with the same offense, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
SSFM president Michael Matsumoto pleaded not guilty yesterday to a false-name donation charge and to a felony count of money laundering.
SSFM is a major city contractor, and people connected to the firm donated more than $85,000 to Harris since 1996, state Campaign Spending Commission records show.
Harris did not respond to a request for comment.
