Harris witness City prosecutors have presented a plea offer to a former Maui beauty queen who is a witness in their investigation into Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign.
offered plea deal
Otsuka was indicted last year on
theft and check forgery chargesBy Rick Daysog
rdaysog@starbulletin.comProsecutors recently proposed a plea deal to Lisa-Katharine Otsuka, who was indicted last year on theft and check forgery charges.
Otsuka's attorneys, Victor Bakke and Paul Cunney, declined to provide specifics, saying the discussions are in the preliminary stages.
Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee also had declined to provide details, saying only that he and Otsuka's lawyers have had telephone conversations about "a possible resolution."
Bakke disclosed the plea offer this morning during a hearing before Circuit Judge Sandra Simms, who granted Bakke's request to reduce Otsuka's bail to $50,000 from $95,000.
Simms also postponed Otsuka's trial date to the week of July 14. Otsuka's trial was initially set for the week of April 17.
Bakke requested the postponement to conduct additional discovery and to study the plea offer.
Prosecutors have been investigating more than $300,000 paid to Otsuka by a vendor for the Harris campaign, Campaign Service Inc.
About $75,000 of that amount originated from the Harris campaign, people familiar with the investigation have said.
Harris said that he does not know Otsuka and that his campaign has not made payments to her.
In September, an Oahu grand jury indicted Otsuka, a former Miss Maui, for allegedly stealing $3,000 that a Wahiawa nonprofit group raised for at-risk youths.
Otsuka was indicted two months later on separate theft and forgery charges. The second indictment alleged that Otsuka stole more than $12,000 by forging eight of her former employers' checks in 1999.
Otsuka has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
She has alleged that prosecutors are harassing her to get her to testify about the Harris campaign.
City & County of Honolulu
