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Kahapea faces more
charges in a second
relocation project

Convicted housing official

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By Suzanne Tswei
Star-Bulletin

Convicted city relocation official Michael Kahapea, facing a possible life sentence in the theft of $5.8 million from the Ewa Villages Revitalization Project, faces trial on charges that he funneled city money to bogus moving companies in another relocation project.

Judge Michael Town yesterday denied motions to dismiss theft and related charges against Kahapea and codefendant Harry Akana, a towing company operator, in the city's West Loch relocation project.

Town disagreed with the defense arguments that the statute of limitations has run out and the legal definition of fraud is too broad.

Investigation into fraud in the West Loch case stemmed from the Ewa Villages investigation, which led to Kahapea being convicted last month of 43 counts of theft and other charges. Kahapea also is a suspect in a third relocation project, involving Middle Street.

Michael Hansen, chief of the city internal control division, testified yesterday that in his investigation he found city checks were converted illegally to cashier's checks, which was a violation common in all three relocations. In the West Loch case, Hansen said he also found irregularities in bids and signatures on documents.

In court documents, prosecutors charge Kahapea falsified relocation documents to circumvent the city's purchasing procedures, fixed the bidding and awarded contracts to three people who paid Kahapea kickback money.

Kahapea and his codefendants in the case are accused of bilking the city of about $600,000 in the West Loch case.