Wife of Harris donor The wife of a top engineering executive received a $1,000 fine yesterday for making illegal campaign donations to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign.
fined for illegal gifts
June Takushi pleads no contest
to a charge she contributed
money under false names
By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@starbulletin.comJune Takushi, wife of SSFM International Inc. Vice President Lee Takushi, pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge that she made political contributions under false names.
About a month ago, Michael Matsumoto, SSFM chief executive officer, and Clayton Wong and Warren Sato, SSFM vice presidents, pleaded no contest to similar charges. Matsumoto also pleaded no contest to a felony money-laundering offense.
District Judge Russel Nagata granted a request by June Takushi's attorney, Earle Partington, for a one-year deferred acceptance of his client's no-contest plea.
The deferral means that if Takushi stays out of trouble for a year, the case will be erased from her records.
According to Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee, Takushi gave about $24,000 to six friends and relatives to make donations to the Harris campaign.
The money originally came from Takushi's husband, Lee Takushi, according to Partington.
Lee Takushi has not been charged but is under investigation.
SSFM is one of the state's largest engineering firms and is a major city contractor.
According to records compiled by the state Campaign Spending Commission, the SSFM firm has given about $400,000 in political donations to more than half a dozen local political candidates during the past decade.
Nearly half of that went to the Harris campaign. Former Gov. Ben Cayetano's 1998 re-election bid received more than $100,000.
Under state law a donor can give no more than $4,000 to a mayoral candidate and $6,000 to a gubernatorial candidate during a four-year election cycle.
Harris campaign officials have denied wrongdoing and said that there is no connection between campaign contributions and the awarding of city contracts.
SSFM International Inc.
Campaign Spending Commission