2 political donors
fined $21,500The penalties for two local
firms' executives are for
excessive political donations
The state Campaign Spending Commission is issuing $21,500 in new fines against political donors who have already paid a total of $22,000 for making illegal campaign contributions.
The commission said Sam Hyun, president of local engineering firm MCE International Inc., agreed to pay $10,000 for making political donations under false names to the campaigns of Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris, former Gov. Ben Cayetano, ex-Honolulu City Councilman Arnold Morgado, former state Sen. Matt Matsunaga and former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono.
The state commission also said Russell Oda, president of Oda/McCarthy Architects Ltd., agreed to pay $11,500 to settle allegations that he and his relatives funneled $23,000 to the campaigns of Cayetano and Morgado.
The fines require the approval of the five-member commission when it meets tomorrow.
"Upon further investigation, the commission found additional contributions that were not revealed in the previous investigation," said Bob Watada, the commission's executive director.
The commission fined Hyun and MCE's predecessor company, W.A. Hirai & Associates, $19,000 in April for making false-name contributions to Harris, Cayetano, Hirono and former Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana. W.A. Hirai & Associates changed its name to MCE.
Hyun pleaded no contest in January to criminal charges that he made illegal political donations to the Harris campaign. State District Judge James Dannenberg fined Hyun $2,000 but granted him a deferral of his no-contest plea. The deferral would allow Hyun to get his case dismissed if he stays out of trouble for a year.
The state agency fined Oda/McCarthy $3,000 in February 2003 for making $7,000 in illegal contributions to Cayetano and Hirono.
In a follow-up to that investigation, the commission said it found an additional $23,000 in donations to Cayetano and Morgado that Oda allegedly made in the names of relatives.
Under state law, donors are barred from making contributions in other people's names. They are prohibited from giving more than $4,000 for a county office and $6,000 for a state office during a four-year election cycle.