Architect is charged
in mayoral coffers case
City prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint against the brother of one of the largest political fund-raisers for isle Democrats.
In a two-count complaint filed in state District Court on Friday, prosecutors alleged that Dwight Mitsunaga made political donations under false names to Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign.
The charges are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $2,000.
Mitsunaga did not return a call to his office and prosecutors had no comment.
Mitsunaga is president of Pacific Architects Inc. He also is the brother of local engineer Dennis Mitsunaga, who was a key fund-raiser for Harris, former Gov. Ben Cayetano and ex-Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana.
He also is related to former state housing official Wesley Segawa, whose Hilo-based engineering firm, Wesley Segawa and Associates Inc., was fined $53,000 by the state Campaign Spending Commission in July 2003.
The commission has been investigating both Dwight and Dennis Mitsunaga in its long-running civil investigation of the Harris administration. In the case of Dwight Mitsunaga and Pacific Architects, commission investigators are focusing on more than $10,000 in donations that originated with the firm.
State law bars donors from making more than $4,000 in donations to mayoral candidates during a four-year election cycle. They also are prohibited from making donations in false names in order the circumvent state campaign finance limits.
City records show that since 1990, Pacific Architects won more than 20 contracts totaling $2.5 million.
The company also received a number of state contracts and was one of the firms that worked on the controversial renovation of the University of Hawaii president's residence at College Hill.
The 2001 College Hill renovation initially was priced at $170,000 but soared to more than $1 million.
www.hawaii.gov/campaign/
