Ex-Honolulu officials charged with conspiracy will face a jury
Honolulu, HAWAII — Three former Honolulu officials charged with engaging in a conspiracy had hoped a judge would determine their fates but will instead face a jury of their peers sometime this fall, U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Kobayashi said Thursday.
Former city attorney Donna Leong, former police commission chairman Max Sword and former managing director Roy Amemiya, who all appeared in the Honolulu court on Thursday, pleaded not guilty earlier this year.
Federal prosecutors say the trio coordinated to deliver a $250,000 retirement package to the now-imprisoned police chief Louis Kealoha in 2017.
A trial had been scheduled for June 13 but will instead take place in October, if not later, after the parties agreed to a continuance.
The federal corruption investigation that led to the indictment of Leong, Sword and Amemiya is ongoing.