Charges filed in Harris campaign probe

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

City prosecutors have filed misdemeanor charges against a former chairman of the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents and the head of one of the state's largest engineering firms as part of a lengthy investigation into illegal campaign contributions to Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign committee.

The charges against R.M. Towill Corp. President Russell Figueiroa and former Towill chairman Donald Kim are expected to result in plea agreements that end the part of the investigation that focused on hundreds of thousands of dollars linked to Towill and donated to Harris since 1996. Kim served as a UH regent from 1997 to 2001, including two years as chairman.

Each defendant was charged with making a campaign contribution under a false name and with exceeding the legal donation limit. They face a maximum penalty of one year in jail for each charge, but are expected to seek a deal that does not include imprisonment.

Prosecutors said two weeks ago that they had offered to drop similar charges against seven others associated with Towill in exchange for pleas of no contest by Figueiroa and Kim. The seven include Big Island deputy county clerk Jay Mende and two family members.

No plea agreement had been publicly agreed to by late yesterday. Kim could not be reached for comment, and Figueiroa said, "It's not proper for me to comment on it at this time." An attorney who has advised the two could not be reached.

The investigation into other campaign donors and companies is continuing, and Towill has yet to resolve a separate probe by the state Campaign Spending Commission.

Several other defendants have pleaded guilty, or no contest, to misdemeanors or felonies and were fined since the criminal probe began in 2002. Dozens of others have been fined by the campaign commission.

But no criminal cases have gone to trial, and no defendants have gone to jail. Harris has not been charged with wrongdoing, nor have any leaders of his campaign.

Former Towill president Richard Towill was indicted by federal and state grand juries in 1975 and 1977 in relation to alleged illegal campaign contributions to former Mayor Frank Fasi. Towill was acquitted in the federal case, and state charges against him and Fasi were later dropped.

Advertiser staff writer Mike Gordon contributed to this report. Reach Johnny Brannon at 525-8070 or at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.