Sen. James Aki was expected to change his not guilty plea today to charges that he allowed illegal gambling on his Nanakuli property from November to March and received income from it. Senator expected to change plea
He faces up to 10 years in prison or a $10,000 fine for the racketeering charge, Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee said this morning.
The state has accused Aki of renting property to three codefendants and knowing that they operated an illegal bingo game, Lee said.
He said that Aki received $150 a month in rent and that the three codefendants grossed about $16,000 a session.
The codefendants are: Myron Thompson (not the former Bishop Estate trustee), Freda Logo and Diana Seiulu.
Seiulu, who pleaded to gambling, racketeering and failing to report income July 2, will be sentenced Sept. 4. She is free on supervised release.
Aki is free on $1,000 bail; Thompson and Logo are free on $16,000 bail. Their trial is scheduled for July 21.
Gen. Richard Myers, a 32-year Air Force veteran, today assumed command of Pacific Air Forces, headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base. Myers takes command
of Pacific Air ForcesHe comes to Hawaii after serving as assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon.
Myers assumes command of the Air Force component that serves 42,000 people in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, South Korea and Japan.
He replaces Gen. John Lober, who is retiring.
Free comprehensive medical exams will be offered to atomic-bomb survivors July 25 through 27. Doctors from the Hiroshima Prefectural Medical Association will conduct the exams. Atomic-bomb survivors
offered free checkupsThe program is meant to provide help for the survivors, also known as hibakusha.
Hibakusha are defined as people who were within the city limits when the bombs fell, went into the city two weeks after the bombs fell, came into contact with other survivors while caring for them or were present at the bombings in their mothers' wombs. Survivors should call Izumi Hirano at 422-1489.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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Police/Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffThe Coast Guard is still trailing a fishing vessel suspecting of illegally operating large-scale driftnet fishing. Coast Guard
trailing suspect vesselEight-foot seas this weekend prevented the Coast Guard from boarding the 140-foot vessel, believed to be of Chinese registration. The Coast Guard tender Basswood has been following the vessel since last week.
The vessel's last known position was 350 miles southwest of Tokyo, and it was heading west at 7 mph.
The Coast Guard also has dispatched the cutter Chase, which is homeported in Los Angeles, to help in the operation.
The ship was spotted June 26 by a Canadian Air Force P-3 aircraft. A U.S. Navy P-3 and a Coast Guard C-130 from Barbers Point also helped track the vessel.
In other news:
A man and a woman were injured early this morning when the car they were in struck a guardrail on the H-1 freeway near the Palama Street exit.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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