Police book Wahiawa police fingerprinted and photographed former Honolulu City Councilwoman Rene Mansho yesterday afternoon after she turned herself in as part of an arrangement with city prosecutors.
Mansho on
theft counts
She is processed on
Council woes
felony complaints at
the Wahiawa stationBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comDeputy Prosecutor Randy Lee said Mansho was being processed under "prosecution via complaint" procedures. Lee did not comment about whether there was a plea agreement between his office and Mansho's attorneys.
However, he defined the prosecution-via-complaint process as when "someone has chosen to waive an indictment by grand jury and proceed by way of a criminal complaint."
|
"It's inappropriate to comment right now," said Lee, "but obviously she got processed."Mansho resigned her Council seat Wednesday, the day a state grand jury was scheduled to consider possible criminal charges against her. The grand jury hearing was canceled.
Police booking logs list Mansho as being processed for first- and second-degree theft, both potential felony charges.
Sources say Mansho is facing charges tied to allegations that she misused her campaign funds and made her Council staff do campaign activities on city time.
Last year, Mansho was fined $40,000 by the state Campaign Spending Commission for misspending campaign funds. She also reimbursed the Council $30,000 for misusing staff time after the city Ethics Commission found her in violation of ethics rules.
Mansho's attorney, James Koshiba, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Mansho, a 52-year-old former schoolteacher, has been on the Council since October 1988.
On Thursday, seven members of the nine-member Council nominated Darrlyn Bunda to fill Mansho's seat. Bunda, executive director of the Waipahu Community Association, is expected to be sworn in April 24.
Mansho is the second member of the Council to resign amid turmoil in the past six months.
Convicted former Councilman Andy Mirikitani resigned at the end of November just before he was sentenced to four years in prison on federal charges that he received kickbacks from bonuses given to Council aides.
BACK TO TOP
|
Council woes
In the past year, the Honolulu City Council has had three of its members face legal or ethical troubles:>> Rene Mansho resigned from the council on Wednesday, the day a grand jury was to convene to consider criminal charges. Prosecutors said Mansho waived the grand jury proceedings and allowed herself to be photographed and fingerprinted by police yesterday for two counts of alleged theft.
>> Councilman Jon Yoshimura, a candidate for lieutenant governor, was suspended from practicing law for six months by the Hawaii Supreme Court for lying about a July 1999 traffic accident.
>> Former Councilman Andy Mirikitani is serving a four-year federal prison term for a kickback and extortion scheme involving former staff members. He resigned from the council about a week before his Dec. 6 sentencing.
