Attorney faces possible jail term in Harris probe

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

A prominent Honolulu attorney who admitted steering illegal campaign contributions to Mayor Jeremy Harris could become the first person sent to jail since a wide-ranging campaign probe began nearly two years ago.

Edward Y.C. Chun, 71, is scheduled to be sentenced today for advising the Food Pantry grocery chain to donate $5,000 to Harris under the names of two employees.

District Court Judge Steven Alm, a former federal prosecutor, told Chun earlier that he was inclined to impose a 10-day jail sentence but allow it to be served over several weekends.

Chun, a senior partner in the Honolulu law firm of Chun Kerr Dodd Beaman and Wong, pleaded guilty in September in exchange for prosecutors dropping a second charge.

He said he had not intentionally advised his clients to break the law, but that his failure to carefully check whether the donations were legal could be construed as "reckless conduct" and grounds for conviction.

Chun had sought to remove Alm from the case after the judge said in chambers that he favored a jail term. But Alm ruled that Chun's attorney had presented no proof that Alm had reached a premature conclusion about Chun's guilt during pretrial discussions.

Alm granted Chun the right to appeal that decision, however, making it unclear whether any sentence issued today would be imposed immediately.

The maximum penalty for the misdemeanor charge is one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Nine others implicated in the campaign investigation were fined by other judges after pleading no contest to similar violations, but no one has gone to jail.

Misdemeanor charges are pending against 12 more defendants, including a top Hawai'i County elections official, and many others remain under investigation. Harris has not been charged with wrongdoing.