Company, ex-councilman agree to pay campaign fines

Advertiser Staff

Honolulu engineering company NTW Associates has agreed to pay a $19,000 fine for making illegal campaign contributions to Mayor Jeremy Harris, state Campaign Spending Commission director Robert Watada said.

And former City Council chairman John DeSoto agreed to pay $4,241 for improperly using campaign money on personal expenditures such as parking tickets and special events, Watada said.

DeSoto served as council chairman from 1994 to 1998, and again in 2002. He no longer serves on the panel, and could not be reached for comment at home yesterday.

The NTW fine is the latest in a long string of penalties that dozens of companies have paid for making illegal campaign contributions that were disguised. NTW president Jeffrey Y.C. Wong declined to comment.

Police and prosecutors are conducting a separate criminal investigation of many of the donations to Harris, but the mayor has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Donors can legally give no more than $6,000 to a candidate for governor and $4,000 to a candidate for mayor during a four-year election cycle.

The Campaign Spending Commission's four voting members are scheduled to formally approve the latest penalties Thursday.