Architect reaches deal
over illegal donations

A local architect who made nearly $40,000 in illegal political donations to several isle Democrats has reached a tentative settlement with the state Campaign Spending Commission.

Dwight Mitsunaga, president of Pacific Architects Inc., agreed to pay the fine to settle the commission's investigation into false-name political donations by the firm to the campaigns of Mayor Jeremy Harris, former Gov. Ben Cayetano, ex-City Councilman Arnold Morgado, past Maui Mayor Kimo Apana and ex-Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono.

The amount of the proposed fine, which requires the approval of the commission's five-member board on Wednesday, were not disclosed. But based on past commission practice, the fine will likely approach $40,000, people familiar with the investigation said.

Mitsunaga could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The tentative deal comes several months after a state judge ordered Mitsunaga to pay a $2,000 fine after the architect pleaded no contest to misdemeanor criminal charges of making political donations under false names.

Mitsunaga is the brother of local engineer and political fund-raiser Dennis Mitsunaga, who is a target of the city prosecutor's three-year investigation into illegal political donations to the Harris campaign.

Since 1990, Dwight Mitsunaga's firm received more than 20 city contracts totaling $2.5 million, city records show.

Pacific Architects also received state contracts and was one of the firms that worked on the controversial renovation of the University of Hawaii president's residence at College Hill.

In its conciliation agreement, the commission's investigators alleged that Dwight Mitsunaga paid for dozens of political donations made in the names of relatives, employees and friends.