A March sentencing has been set for the high-profile players in Honolulu’s biggest-ever public corruption case.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Michael Seabright set March 17 as the sentencing date for Katherine Kealoha, a former deputy city prosecutor, and her husband, former Honolulu Police chief Louis Kealoha, who last week signed separate plea agreements with federal prosecutors.
The Kealohas will be sentenced separately.
Former Honolulu police chief Louis Kealoha and his wife, Katherine, a former city prosecutor, were convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Katherine Kealoha pleaded guilty to three felonies in two federal criminal cases involving bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and “misprision” of a felony — knowing someone committed a crime and failing to report it — for aiding and not reporting her brother’s alleged drug trafficking.
Aggravated identity theft has a mandatory two-year minimum sentence. Sentencing guidelines for the other felonies vary, and a series of hearings will take place to determine which ones apply.
Louis Kealoha formally pleaded guilty to one felony count of bank fraud and will remain out of custody on bail until his sentencing.
Seabright said there is a disagreement among the defense attorneys as to whether the guidelines for deprivation of civil rights or the guidelines for obstruction of justice should apply to Katherine Kealoha’s sentencing, and he set a series of dates in November and early December to hear arguments on the matter. He scheduled a hearing for Dec. 16 to issue a decision.
Gary Singh, the Honolulu attorney appointed by a judge to represent Katherine Kealoha, said he anticipates the worst-case scenario for his client would be a sentence of 15 to 20 years.
He said he could not speculate on Louis Kealoha’s sentence because he is not his client.
Police officers Derek Hahn and Minh-Hung “Bobby” Nguyen will be sentenced separately on March 18. A jury convicted them in June on federal conspiracy charges and for obstruction of justice.
The post March Sentencing Set For Kealohas And Their Co-Conspirators appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.