Campaign probe
snares 2 moreThe pair allegedly made illegal donations
to Mayor Jeremy Harris
City prosecutors said they have filed criminal charges against two local engineers for allegedly making illegal political contributions to Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign.
Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee said his office recently filed criminal complaints in state District Court against Imata & Associates Inc. and George Nishimura, president of the structural engineering firm of Nishimura, Katayama & Oki.
Lee said the complaint alleges that Imata and Nishimura made excessive political contributions to the Harris campaign and made contributions under false names.
Nishimura could not be reached for comment, and Gordon Imata, president of Imata & Associates, was not available.
The charges are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of $2,000.
In a related matter, a state judge fined a local engineering executive $2,000 yesterday after the executive pleaded no contest to making over-the-limit political contributions to the Harris campaign.
District Judge Paula Devens also granted Lee Takushi, a vice president with SSFM International Inc., a deferral that gives him the chance to get his criminal case dismissed if he stays out of trouble for a year.
Takushi, 51, said he was sorry for his actions and that he was unaware that he had violated the law at the time he made the contributions. His attorney, Brook Hart, said that his client was engaging in a long-standing practice in which local contractors had to contribute to political campaigns or risk losing business to out-of-state companies.
Hart said Takushi was put in his predicament by his former boss, Michael Matsumoto, who required him to make political contributions.