Ex-lawmaker enters not guilty plea

By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer

Former state Rep. Nathan Suzuki pleaded not guilty in federal court yesterday to tax fraud charges which now include a claim that he conspired with O'ahu businessman Michael Boulware to defraud the federal and state governments out of tens of thousands of dollars in tax revenue.

Suzuki a Democrat who represented the Salt Lake and Moanalua area, was indicted in June 2002 on three counts of filing false income tax returns and two counts of failing to disclose an interest in a foreign bank account on his tax return.

On Oct. 30, a federal grand jury issued a revised indictment against Suzuki, one that included the conspiracy charge.

Suzuki, 55, was originally scheduled to go to trial in November 2002, but the date was pushed back to February 2003. The February date was later reset for July 22, but the trial was postponed again until Nov. 4 at the request of Suzuki's lawyer, Michael Green.

Green told U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie in an Oct. 21 hearing that he believed the federal government was going to add the conspiracy charge against Suzuki and that, if so, he would need additional time to prepare for the trial.

Federal Magistrate Kevin Chang, who handled Suzuki's arraignment yesterday on the revised indictment, set a new trial date of Jan. 20. Chang said any additional extensions would have to be granted by Rafeedie himself.

The charges against Suzuki are related to the tax and accounting work he did for Boulware, head of a coffee distribution and vending machine business in Hawai'i.

Boulware was sentenced in May to four years and three months in prison after being convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud conspiracy charges. Rafeedie allowed Boulware to remain free while he appeals the conviction.