Posted on: Thursday, November 27, 2003

Three engineers charged in campaign donor probe

Associated Press

Three Honolulu engineers have been charged with making illegal donations to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign.

City prosecutors filed separate complaints against Sam Hyun, Ernest Hirata and Kendall Hee, who are accused of making excessive political donations and giving money under false names.

Earlier this month, an O'ahu grand jury indicted nine people linked to the engineering firm R.M. Towill Corp. on similar violations of the state campaign finance laws.

Since its investigation began in 2002, the prosecutor's office has obtained criminal charges against more than 15 donors linked to major city contractors.

Hyun, Hee and two of Hee's relatives were arrested in July on suspicion of money laundering and making false-name political donations.

Hyun is an engineer with W.A. Hirai & Associates Inc., which was fined $19,000 by the state Campaign Spending Commission in March for making $30,000 in illegal political donations to Harris, former Gov. Ben Cayetano, former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono and former Maui Mayor James Apana.

Hee is president of Engineers Surveyors Hawaii Inc., which was fined $49,300 by the Campaign Spending Commission in February for making $80,000 in illegal contributions to Harris, Cayetano, Hirono and Apana.

The Hirata firm, meanwhile, is in discussions with the Campaign Spending Commission to settle the commission's investigation.

Hirata employees and their relatives contributed more than $18,000 to the Harris campaign since 1996, according to commission records.

Under state law, a donor can give no more than $4,000 to a mayoral candidate during a four-year election cycle.

Harris hasn't been charged with wrongdoing, and his attorney has repeatedly said the mayor never solicited or knowingly accepted illegal campaign contributions.