Associated Press
Eds: Expands. With AP Photos.
HONOLULU (AP) — A trial for a former Honolulu prosecutor, her now-retired police chief husband and officers accused of framing her uncle to try to mask her financial schemes has been moved back so she can get cancer treatment.
Katherine Kealoha’s doctor talked to a judge during a court hearing that was closed to the public. Afterward, U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright granted Kealoha’s motion to postpone the trial because she says she has cancer.
“I think there is a very high likelihood of chance that Ms. Kealoha could not meaningfully participate in the trial,” Seabright said.
Kealoha; her husband, Louis Kealoha; and current and former officers were set to face trial later this month on charges that they used police resources to frame her uncle for stealing the couple’s home mailbox.
Prosecutors have accused the Kealohas of using their power to try to destroy anyone who threatened to reveal her financial schemes, which include stealing money from the uncle and her grandmother to support the couple’s lavish lifestyle.
The Kealohas and their attorneys left the courthouse without commenting. Jury selection for the trial is now scheduled for May 15.
It’s not clear how delaying the trial will affect another case against the Kealohas on bank fraud, identity theft and other charges. Trial on those allegations was to start in June.
Katherine Kealoha also faces a third trial after she and her doctor brother were indicted on charges that they dealt opioids and used her position as a prosecutor to hide their crimes. Prosecutors say she and her brother, Dr. Rudolph Puana, used cocaine with others in the drug-dealing conspiracy.
She and Puana have pleaded not guilty.
The widening investigation that stemmed from a peculiar case of a stolen mailbox has grown to include other high-ranking Honolulu officials.
Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro and Honolulu Corporation Counsel Donna Leong have received letters from the U.S. Justice Department saying they are targets in the investigation, but specific allegations have not been made public yet.
Leong took a paid leave of absence, while Kaneshiro has refused calls to step down.
Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors filed a petition with the state Supreme Court asking that Kaneshiro be suspended from practicing law. The court gave Kaneshiro until this week to respond. Kaneshiro also is facing a separate petition from a Honolulu businessman who wants him impeached.
An attorney representing Kaneshiro has said there’s no dysfunction in the prosecutor’s office and that Kaneshiro deserves a presumption of innocence.
Karma for these people and their connections when they tried to set up a murder at the Pali lookout.
People on Kauai are involved. Dirty kpd cops and HPD cops tried to murder someone who has exposed corruption on all islands and all police depts and judicial employees as well as the prison system.
Yes and the same people who set up the Aurero Moore murder tried several times to murder same person using the same Moore murder tactics.
They used a female like they did against Moore. They had him in a remote area of Anahola beach and shot home execution style. Well the same people who set the Aurero Moore murder is still free trying to do Thebes same to people who exposed their part in the murder and expose public corruption and judicial corruption.
This is huge news that the inside people know about and also some good cops know about. The dirty cops in kpd are involved. It was staged by the dirty cops in kpd like how the Kealoha’s set up the uncle and stole from the niece and nephew.
This is Karma for those who swore oath should to protect and serve while committing crimes and abusing their positions unbecoming of law enforcement officers.
This is a serious culture that continues in the state of Hawaii on all islands. They say that the police depts are associated and affiliated with a multinational criminal organization that is the power and influence in the state on all islands. There must be some truth to this.
The judicial corruption in the islands is blatant and the Kealoha case is not an isolated random incident of public corruption. It has been going on for decades in the Tate of Hawaii and all islands.
This is normal and long time residents know this but are afraid to speak out and against such a evil entity.
Will the Feds clean up Hawaii or just be happy with this case?
Many has suffered and many more will siffer unless the DOJ takes a serious approach with judicial and public corruption in the islands.
We have seen recently that they’ve been more and more public officials getting charged with crimes but many has gotten away with serious crimes in the islands and our beloved garden island.
We must continue the good fight and expose these individuals or rings that are tied to the multinational criminal organization that infects all areas of state and county government.