Posted on: Saturday, November 23, 2002

Defiant witness pleads innocent in forgery case

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Lisa-Katharine Otsuka, defiant grand jury witness in the investigation of Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign finances and city contract awards, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of forgery and theft in an unrelated case.

The charges — eight counts of second-degree forgery and two counts of second-degree theft — stem from allegations that she wrote checks to herself from a former employer's account without authorization by the auto repair company, identified as "Hon/Hawaii Repairs." The amount allegedly stolen is $12,000.

Victor Bakke, Osuka's attorney, said he would ask that the charges be dismissed, contending they were filed after the lapse of the three years covered by the statute of limitations.

Bakke also contended that Otsuka's bail in that case and another pending against her were excessive, and that the cases were part of an ongoing campaign by prosecutors and police to compel Otsuka to testify against Harris.

She had refused to testify in a grand jury investigation, Bakke said, denying knowledge of some events in question and evoking her Fifth Amendment rights when she became concerned about incriminating herself.

"They're hoping that if they can get her to sit in jail for a couple of months, she'll change her mind and come and talk to them," Bakke said.

Deputy prosecutor Randy Lee denied the accusation.

"She committed crimes," he said. "It is our duty to prosecute them."

Lee said the grand jury that heard the latest allegations against Otsuka had decided the actions did occur within the statute of limitations. The judge could have refused the prosecution's request for bail, he noted.

Otsuka's bail in the most recent case was $45,000. It was $50,000 in an earlier case in which she was charged with stealing $3,000 from a dance group last year.

Both cases are set for trial in April, Bakke said.