Ex-liquor inspector admits to bar payoffs
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
A former Honolulu Liquor Commission inspector pleaded guilty yesterday to taking bribes from hostess bars, one day before the trial of two other inspectors accused of similar crimes is set to begin.
Arthur Andres, 61, pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts of racketeering, conspiracy and federal extortion for his role in a bribery scheme that allegedly involved eight of the commission's 15 inspectors. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced in January.
Andres, who was scheduled to go to trial today on the charges, pleaded guilty before federal Magistrate Kevin Chang. He was the sixth of eight former inspectors who were indicted in May 2002 in a 57-count indictment to plead guilty.
Andres was fired as a commission enforcement investigator following a 1988-89 probe into misconduct, but was later reinstated by an arbitrator.
Jury selection for the two remaining defendants, Harvey Hiranaka and Eduardo Mina, is set to begin this morning before U.S. District Judge David Ezra.
Reginald Minn, Andres' attorney, declined to comment yesterday. Also declining to comment was Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Seabright, who is prosecuting the cases.
The other five former inspectors who earlier pleaded guilty are David Lee, Collin Oshiro, William B. Richardson Jr., Samuel Ho and Kenneth Wright.
The indictment represented one of Hawai'i's biggest cases alleging corruption in a government agency. The charges accused the eight of accepting cash bribes between $40 and $1,080, from October 2000 to December 2001, from owners, managers or employees of 45 hostess and strip bars in return for not enforcing liquor laws.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correction: A previous version of this story did not use William B. Richardson Jr.'s complete name. He is not related to former Hawai'i chief justice William S. Richardson or his son William K. Richardson.
