8 city liquor commission employees indicted in bribery, extortion case
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Eight employees of the Honolulu Liquor Commission have been indicted by a federal grand jury on 57 counts of federal and state extortion and bribery charges, authorities confirmed today.
The eight are: David K.H. Lee, 64, night shift supervisor; Harvey T. Hiranaka, 55, night shift supervisor; and investigators Arthur M. Andres, 59; Samuel K.Y. Ho, 43; Eduardo C. Mina, 71; Collin M. Oshiro, 32; William B. Richardson Jr., 48; and Kenneth L. Wright, 47.
Five of the men are in custody, two are expected to turn themselves in, and one, Mina, is out of the country, officials said.
The eight represent 80 percent of the commission's night enforcement staff.
Prosecutors allege that 45 licensees made payments of at least $1,000 to the defendants in return for not fully enforcing liquor laws.
The case is being handled under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, a federal law commonly known as RICO.
As The Advertiser reported earlier today, the employees are accused of receiving money or gifts in exchange for overlooking or not reporting violations. The indictments were made public at a news conference this afternoon.
The indictments came after a 20-month investigation by the FBI and Honolulu police.
The FBI and Honolulu police began investigating the Liquor Commission's enforcement section in September 2000. The FBI confirmed last August there was an on-going investigation of corruption based on a complaint from a "concerned citizen."
Liquor Commission Administrator Wallace Weatherwax and current commissioners Dennis Enomoto, Clyde Eugenio, Chu Lan Kwock, Orlando Soriano and John Spierling were not targeted in the investigation.
Former Liquor Commission administrator Randal Yoshida pushed in 1990 to have Honolulu Police Department take over the commission's enforcement duties.
"The reason I did that is HPD has the ability to assign new officers who are not readily recognizable to bar licensees," said Yoshida, who is now an attorney in private practice and is not involved in the current investigation. "Police are more able to conduct undercover liquor investigations for violations."
Five liquor investigators were fired and five others suspended without pay in 1989 after a private detective firm alleged liquor investigators solicited money from club owners, overlooked infractions in exchange for cash, falsified records and fondled bar hostesses. Two of five who were fired were later reinstated.
