Man pleads no contest
in money laundering
A local engineer pleaded no contest yesterday to money laundering and making illegal political contributions to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign.
Edward K. Noda entered the plea before Circuit Judge Richard Perkins, who will sentence him on May 26.
Perkins will rule later on a request to defer Noda's plea -- which gives him the chance to wipe his record clean if he follows court-ordered conditions.
David Lum, Noda's attorney, said his client is cooperating with the city prosecutor's office, which is investigating allegations of illegal political fund raising by the Harris campaign.
Money laundering is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Making a political donation under a false name is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Noda is the namesake and founder of local engineering firm Edward K. Noda & Associates, which agreed last year to pay a $74,000 fine to the state Campaign Spending Commission.
The commission alleged that the firm made more than $100,000 in illegal political donations to Harris, former Gov. Ben Cayetano and ex-Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono. Investigators found that the firm's employees and relatives contributed $48,750 to the Harris campaign, $41,000 to the Cayetano campaign and $25,000 to Hirono's campaign.
Under state law a business or individual can give no more than $4,000 to a mayoral candidate and $6,000 to a candidate for governor or lieutenant governor during a four-year election cycle. They also cannot make political donations under false names.
