Department of the Prosecuting Attorney

A jury announced not guilty verdicts Friday in a yearslong bribery case against Honolulu's former top prosecutor and five people associated with the engineering and architectural firm Mitsunaga & Associates.

Prosecutors allege that Mitsunaga & Associates employees conspired to bribe then-Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro with campaign donations in exchange for Kaneshiro's prosecution of a former company employee.

An upcoming bribery trial against Honolulu’s former top prosecutor won’t be delayed despite an ongoing investigation into allegations that a defendant threatened the judge who had been presiding over the case, which prompted his unexpected recusal last month.

U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright issued an order Wednesday morning recusing himself in the case against former Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro. Jury selection was scheduled to begin next month in one of Hawaiʻi's most anticipated criminal trials.

Gov. Josh Green signed a bill into law for the first time on Wednesday. SB 36, now Act 1, allows felony prosecutions to be made through a preliminary hearing.

House Bill 126 would change political bribery from a class B felony to a class A felony. That would double the maximum prison sentence to 20 years.

Safe and Sound Waikiki plans on convicting serial offenders and helping those with bigger problems, like substance abuse and chronic homelessness. HPR’s Sabrina Bodon reports.

A U.S. grand jury has indicted Honolulu’s former top prosecutor and four others. The charges allege that employees of an engineering and architectural firm bribed Keith Kaneshiro with campaign donations in exchange for Kaneshiro’s prosecution of a former company employee. All five defendants pleaded not guilty and were released on $50,000 bail.

Recent street crime in Waikīkī and elsewhere on Oʻahu has drawn the attention of local leaders seeking to improve public safety. Meanwhile, Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm says progress is being made with another challenge on the streets: homelessness in Chinatown.

The Honolulu Prosecutor is warning taxpayers of possible check thefts as IRS refund checks roll in. This comes as the prosecutor has charged a Honolulu man on multiple counts of forgery and attempted theft.