Two airport officials arrested in kickbacks probe
By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer
Two state airports officials were arrested in connection with the widening theft and bribery investigation of an alleged cash-for-contracts kickback scheme at Honolulu International Airport.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Dennis Hirokawa, the airport's maintenance superintendent, was arrested in connection with a first-degree felony theft case. Antonio Bio, maintenance supervisor, was arrested in connection with a second-degree felony theft investigation.
Airport employees Antonio Bio, front, and Dennis Hirokawa were arrested at the airport's main terminal yesterday.
Neither man had any comment as the pair were led away in handcuffs from the airport's main terminal. They were booked and released pending further investigation.
Jadine Urasaki, deputy director of the state Transportation Department, said yesterday afternoon that Hirokawa and Bio have been placed on 30 days' leave without pay pending further developments in the investigation.
A third suspect in the case, Richard Okada, is on leave from his job as statewide director of the airports Visitor Information Program and was not at the airport when Hirokawa and Bio were arrested.
Urasaki said Okada is on vacation and that there is no change in his job status.
Attorney General Earl Anzai said in a press release that the arrests are part of "the ongoing investigation into forgery, theft and bribery related to small purchase contracts at the Honolulu International Airport."
Bio was also arrested last week by state sheriff's deputies in a separate investigation of theft of plants from the airport, officials said.
Today's arrests follow a raid by investigators last week of the offices of Hirokawa and Okada at the airport.
The investigation centers on millions of dollars in airport construction and repair contracts awarded by airport personnel to private firms since 1995.
A select group of contractors are alleged to have inflated bills for airport work and kicked back cash and other gratuities to airport personnel participating in the scheme.
Sources familiar with the case who asked not to be named because the investigation is still ongoing said the probe also involves the examination of hiring and promotion practices within the Department of Transportation's airports division.
Okada and Hirokawa allegedly exerted improper influence over who was hired, promoted or even transferred within the division, particularly the airport maintenance engineering office at the main terminal, according to the sources. Inspectors who check the quality and value of airport maintenance work are assigned to that office, which was raided last week by state investigators.
Both Hirokawa and Bio used to work in the maintenance engineering office until they were promoted and transferred to the airport maintenance baseyard on Aolele Street.
