Golfer, starter
banned for 5 years

The two women were abusing
tee-time privileges at Ala Wai

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By Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.com

A former city employee at the Ala Wai Golf Course pleaded guilty today to accepting bribes from golfers for preferred tee times.

Janice Kakugawa, 55, is the second defendant indicted in the golf course investigation to plead guilty. Yesterday, golfer Yong Cha Toyomura pleaded guilty to one count of bribing a starter and agreed to testify against Kakugawa had the case gone to trial.

Under a plea agreement, Kakugawa will be sentenced to five years probation, 250 hours of community service and ordered to pay $15,000 -- of which $10,000 is due when she is sentenced Nov. 20.

If she fails to pay the remaining $5,000 over a period of five years, she will be ordered to serve six months in jail.

She also is banned from playing at any of the municipal courses for the same period and will have to write a letter of apology to be posted at all six municipal courses.

Deputy Prosecutor Rowena Somerville said Kakugawa violated the position of authority entrusted her by the city.

"She abused the golf registration system to her benefit by accepting money from people and giving them starting times ahead of other people that were legitimately using the system."

The city's investigation resulted from complaints from golfers who noticed certain golfers were receiving preferential treatment at Ala Wai when they were having difficulty even getting on.

If golfers don't have a tee time, they have to sign up on a waiting list, which can sometimes mean a three- to six-hour wait. Some never got out because starters were letting their friends play before those who showed up first, Somerville said.

Because of the abuse, the city instituted the automated golf tee time system about three years ago, requiring golfers to call in to reserve tee times.

But once the system was put into place, Kakugawa figured out a way to abuse it again for her benefit, Somerville said.

The city's investigation revealed the practice of paying $5 a head per person for choice tee times was occurring more than once a day, maybe 10 times a day and each time Kakugawa worked, Somerville said.

Kakugawa worked at Ala Wai for 22 years and was subsequently fired.

Meanwhile, Toyomura, 48, faces five years' probation, during which time she will be banned from any municipal golf course after she plead guilty yesterday to one count of bribery.

At sentencing in November, Toyomura will be also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine, perform 250 hours of community service and write a letter of apology to all golfers that will be posted at the Ala Wai Golf Course.

Toyomura was initially indicted in June on six counts of bribery, along with former Kakugawa and clerk Lawrence Helekahi, whose case is pending.

"We felt that it was important to hold her accountable to her actions and basically get her to testify against the starters who are directly involved in this type of system," Somerville said.

Toyomura was allowed to remain free pending sentencing on Nov. 9. Her attorney, Anthony Yusi, declined comment.