3 Billy Kenoi Charges Tossed
A judge left five other charges in place, including two counts of felony theft.
A judge threw out three lesser聽charges against Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi on Monday, the same day prosecutors rested in the聽ongoing criminal trial聽over聽the mayor’s use of聽public money for聽personal expenses.
that聽Judge Dexter Del Rosario threw out the misdemeanor charges of tampering with a government record but denied a motion by Kenoi’s lawyers to toss five other charges. Those include two felony counts of theft.
Prosecutors have accused Kenoi of illegally using a government spending card, known as a pCard, to rack up thousands of dollars in聽personal expenses, including booze, a surfboard and visits聽to so-called hostess bars.
Kenoi has apologized for聽spending the money and said he has since reimbursed聽Hawaii County for the charges. His attorneys have said it was an error in judgement but not a criminal act.
The聽trial began last week. Hawaii News Now reported that Kenoi’s defense team was expected to start calling witnesses on Monday afternoon.
