Posted on: Wednesday, August 6, 2003

Woman charged in donations to Harris

Advertiser Staff

Prosecutors have filed a misdemeanor charge against a woman who allegedly funneled illegal donations to Mayor Jeremy Harris' 2000 re-election campaign.

Leona Nishimura was charged late last week with making campaign contributions under a false name, Deputy City Prosecutor Randal Lee said. He would not say how much money was allegedly funneled to Harris.

Another Harris donor, Alden Kajioka, was charged with the same misdemeanor a week earlier. Kajioka, who heads Controlpoint Surveying Inc., also was charged with a second misdemeanor in allegedly making donations to Harris that exceeded the $4,000 limit for a mayoral race.

Neither Nishimura nor Kajioka has been arraigned yet, Lee said.

Harris' attorney has said the mayor's campaign committee never solicited or knowingly accepted illegal contributions.

At least 17 other people have been arrested since late June on suspicion of illegally funneling money to Harris. None of them have been charged, and Harris' attorney William McCorriston has labeled the probe a "fishing expedition" meant to discredit the mayor.