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Prosecutors seek Prosecutors say they will seek the maximum 10 years in prison for former City Councilwoman Rene Mansho because of her failure to admit she stole from taxpayers.
maximum sentence
in Mansho theft
They say the former councilwoman
did not admit she stole fundsBy Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com"She didn't take responsibility," Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata said. "If anything, she took the taxpayers' money and took too long to resign."
When Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani asked her why she was pleading guilty to theft charges, Mansho said: "I was charged with the use of my city staff for non-city business during city time. As the elected council member of the office, I am taking the responsibility."
Takata said: "The way she phrased it, it's like she's implying that others did it. But because she was their boss, she would assume the guilt or the responsibility for that. That's not the case here. She knew about these things and in fact instructed them to do these things."
Deputy Prosecutor Randy Lee said, "We will be seeking the full amount of restitution as well as the full term of incarceration."
In addition to prison time, the 52-year-old former schoolteacher from Wahiawa faces fines of up to $35,000 for the two theft charges and an undisclosed amount in restitution.
Prosecutors said Mansho stole more than $20,000 in city funds between April 1, 1989, and Dec. 31, 2000, and more than $300 from the Friends of Rene Mansho between Jan. 1, 1994, and Aug. 31, 2000.
The state Campaign Spending Commission fined Mansho $40,000 last year for misusing campaign funds. The city Ethics Commission also found her in violation of misusing her Council staff and required her to reimburse the City Council $40,000.
As part of the plea agreement, Mansho must pay a minimum of $25,000 in restitution, in addition to the $40,000 she has already paid.
As part of the plea agreement, charges of second-degree forgery, racketeering and money laundering were dropped.
Mansho also asked for a deferred acceptance of her guilty plea, which would allow her to keep her record clean of the charges if she follows conditions similar to probation.
Mansho is scheduled to be sentenced July 26-27 so both sides can present arguments for their sentencing requests.
Mansho's lawyer, James Koshiba, and prosecutors will be discussing possible sentencing terms and may come to an agreement on some of the terms, on which the judge will rule.
Mansho gave up her right to a jury trial and an indictment by a grand jury and was instead charged by criminal complaint dated April 17. She also gave up her right to appeal the sentencing.
Lee said prosecutors opted for the plea agreement to spare taxpayers the expense of a trial, which he said would have lasted several months because of the "high-publicity nature of the case" and the abundance of documents.
The former councilwoman for the North Shore-Waipahu district resigned her Council seat April 10, which she held since October 1988. Her term was due to expire in January.