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THE KEY PLAYERS

THE KEALOHAS FAMILY ALLEGED CO-CONSPIRATORS
LOUIS M. KEALOHA, 57, retired in February as Honolulu police chief GERARD PUANA, uncle SGT. DANIEL SELLERS, 47, a 20-year veteran of HPD, was arrested
after 33 years on the force. He is married to Katherine P. Kealoha. He of Katherine Friday on charges of obstruction and making false statements
was the chief for more than seven years starting in 2009 but was Kealoha. He was to a federal officer. He pleaded not guilty and was released on
forced to retire after being informed that he was the target of a accused of stealing bond.
federal investigation. He is facing charges of conspiracy, the Kealohas LT. DEREK W. HAHN, 46, was a member of the Criminal Intelligence
obstruction, making false statements to a federal officer and bank mailbox as part of a Unit, which investigated the alleged mailbox theft. He was
fraud. The former chief received a $250,000 severance payment, family feud, but the arrested Wednesday and charged with conspiracy,
which he must return if he is convicted of a felony within six years case was dismissed. obstruction and lying to a federal officer. He pleaded not
of his retirement. FLORENCE PUANA, the guilty and was released on bond.
KATHERINE P. KEALOHA, 47, has served three stints at the city mother of Gerard MINH-HUNG BOBBY NGUYEN, 43, also served in CIU. He is
prosecutors office: from 1993 to 2001, from 2006 to 2008, and from and grandmother charged with conspiring with others to alter or falsify records,
2010 to the present. In between, she served in private practice and of Katherine. A obstructing an official proceeding and making a false
as director of the state Office of Environmental and Quality Control. reverse mortgage statement. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond.
She became embroiled in a family fight over finances with her uncle taken out on her RETIRED MAJ. GORDON SHIRAISHI, 61, also served in CIU. He is
Gerard Puana and her grandmother Florence Puana. The federal home by her charged with obstructing an official proceeding. He pleaded
indictment, unveiled Friday, alleges that the Kealohas conspired granddaughter not guilty and was released on bond.
with other HPD officers to frame her uncle with a bogus mailbox played a key role in RETIRED OFFICER NIALL SILVA, pleaded guilty in December to
theft charge. Like her husband, she is facing charges of conspiracy, the family squabble conspiring with other HPD officers and Katherine Kealoha to
obstruction, making false statements to a federal officer and bank and the federal frame Gerard Puana for the alleged theft of the Kealohas
fraud. In addition, she faces a charge of aggravated identity theft. investigation. mailbox.

NGUYEN

SILVA SHIRAISHI

ALL ABOUT
TIME
A look at the key dates in the
case involving now-retired
Honolulu police Chief Louis HAHN

Kealoha and deputy city

prosecutor Katherine Kealoha:
SUNDAY: FBI agents arrest

2009 HPD Officer Minh-Hung

NOV. 18, 2009: The Honolulu
Police Commission takes less
than a half-hour to
unanimously select Capt. Louis
Kealoha as chief from a group
of six finalists. After a
contentious relationship with
the former chief, Boisse
Correa, police union officials
applaud Kealohas selection.
2013
JUNE 22: Deputy city prosecutor
Katherine Kealoha, the chiefs
wife, reports to police that the
mailbox has been stolen from
in front of the familys Kahala
DEC. 4: On the first
home.
JUNE 29: Kealoha reports that
her uncle Gerard Puana was
captured on home surveillance
video stealing the mailbox. The
Honolulu Police Department
turns over the completed
investigation to the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service.
JUNE 30: The U.S. Postal
Inspection Service determines
the person in the video does
appear to be Puana.
JULY 1: Federal prosecutors
charge Puana with destroying
a mailbox, a crime punishable
DEC. 17: Silvert tells the Honolulu
by up to three years in prison
and a fine.
2014
FEB. 5: The Police Commission
votes to give Kealoha a second
five-year term ending Nov. 27,
2019.
day of Puanas trial in
U.S. District Court, Chief Louis
Kealoha identifies the person
in the video as Puana but
causes a mistrial by telling the
jury about Puanas 2011 con-
viction for unlawfully entering
a neighbors home. Alexander
Silvert, Puanas defense attor-
ney, accuses Kealoha of pur-
posely causing the mistrial to
avert a not-guilty verdict that
would have undercut Kather-
ine Kealohas standing in a civil
case against Puana.
Star-Advertiser that he has
turned over information about
the mailbox theft case to the
FBI for investigation. This even-
tually triggers a federal grand
jury query about alleged police
misconduct, which leads to an
investigation centering on the
Kealohas and others.
2016
JUNE 17: The Kealohas sue the
city Ethics Commission, alleg-
ing that former Executive Direc-
tor Chuck Totto and his staff
conducted vindictive, unsub-
stantiated and illegal investiga-
tions against them.
DEC. 16: Retired HPD Officer Niall
Silva pleads guilty to conspiring
with other officers and Kather-
ine Kealoha to frame Puana for
the theft of the mailbox.
DEC. 20: Chief Kealoha places
himself on voluntary paid
leave after the FBI sends him a
target letter informing him
that he is the focus of a crimi-
nal investigation. Deputy Chief
Cary Okimoto is appointed
acting chief.
Bobby Nguyen for alleged
conspiracy, obstruction and
false statements to a federal
officer. Retired HPD Maj. Gor-
don Shiraishi is also arrested,
for alleged obstruction of a fed-
eral investigation. They both
plead not guilty and are re-
leased on bond the following
day.
WEDNESDAY: FBI agents arrest
HPD Lt. Derek W. Hahn for al-
leged conspiracy, obstruction
and making false statements to
a federal officer. He pleads not
guilty and is released on bond.
THURSDAY: After nearly two
years of investigating the
Kealohas, the federal grand
jury in Honolulu ends its term.
No indictments are announced.
FRIDAY: Louis and Katherine
2017 Kealoha are arrested at home
by FBI agents early in the
JAN. 6: Police Commission
morning. They are charged
Chairman Max Sword an-
with conspiracy, obstruction,
nounces Kealoha has agreed to
making false statements to a
retire, ending a 33-year career.
federal officer and bank fraud.
No details are released.
Katherine Kealoha is also
JAN. 18: Sword announces
charged with aggravated
Kealoha will be paid $250,000
identity theft. The Kealohas
in severance, out of HPD funds,
appear in federal court in
in exchange for retiring Feb.
Honolulu, plead not guilty and
28. The agreement states the
are released on $100,000
money is to be returned if
signature bonds each.
Kealoha is convicted of a
Katherine Kealoha is placed on
felony.
unpaid leave by the city
JAN. 27: Despite objections from
prosecutors office. FBI agents
acting Chief Okimoto, Kealoha
receives his severance pay-
also arrest Sgt. Daniel Sellers,
who pleads not guilty to
ment from HPD funds, accord-
obstruction and making false
ing to Sword.
statements to a federal officer.
FEB. 28: Louis Kealoha officially
He is released on $50,000 bond.
retires from HPD.

PHOTOS COURTESY HAWAII NEWS NOW; STAR-ADVERTISER

PROSECUTOR
Continued from A1
Victor Bakke, another
criminal defense lawyer and
a former member of the
prosecutors office, said he
expects attorneys with cli-
ents in criminal cases that
Kealoha worked on to raise
questions about that con-
nection, with the strongest
arguments of a taint coming
in cases in which she played
a principal role.
Bakke said hundreds of
cases potentially could be
affected. Its a big monkey
wrench, he said. Its mas-
sive.
Alexander Silvert, first
current HPD officers were Friday pending the outcome job, federal investigators are He also cited another case
indicted as part of an un- of the federal case. looking at the prosecutors in which Kealoha and two
precedented case of abuse She already was on leave office as well. police officers entered and
of power and corruption by without pay since May a In January, they raided searched a relatives home
public officials in Hawaii. status she had requested the office, searching com- after the relative was ar-
deputy federal defender, Some of the alleged mis- and that was unrelated to puter servers and seizing rested.
told reporters that if he conduct by Katherine Keal- the federal investigation, ac- laptops. This establishes her will-
were in state court and had oha happened when she cording to Parker. The grand jury investiga- ingness to use her power to
a case that Kealoha handled, was not with the prosecu- But once she was in- tion also has delved into a gain an advantage, McDon-
he would seek a dismissal. tors office. But most of it al- dicted, her leave became in- land purchase involving the ald told Puglisi.
I think she has jeopar- legedly occurred while she voluntary, he said. offices Makiki safe house Jonathan Burge, a crimi-
dized a lot of cases that are was a deputy prosecutor, in- Kealoha has had three for female victims of domes- nal defense attorney and for-
pending in state court by cluding as head of the sev- stints at the prosecutors of- tic violence and sex traffick- mer police officer, doesnt
her actions and her inability en-attorney career criminal fice. She first joined the of- ing. believe Kealohas indict-
and her unwillingness to unit. fice in 1993 and stayed until And McDonald, the fed- ment will have much of an
step aside, Silvert said. The unit, which she April 2001. She rejoined the eral prosecutor, told the impact for now on the pros-
Kaneshiro, through a headed since at least 2011, staff in May 2006 and left in court Friday that Kealoha ecutors office.
spokesman, declined com- focuses on repeat offenders February 2008. used her position as a dep- Unless she is convicted or
ment. in felony cases. She started her most re- uty prosecutor to make false more facts emerge calling
Kealoha; her husband, re- Chuck Parker, a spokes- cent stint in November 2010. representations in state into question her conduct
tired Honolulu Police De- man for Kaneshiro, said While the charges she court to get a case involving as a prosecutor, at this
partment Chief Louis Katherine Kealoha was faces stem from conduct un- excessive speeding dis- point, I dont really see too
Kealoha; and four former or placed on leave without pay related to her prosecutor missed. many red flags, Burge said.