Key Players
These are the people you’ll be hearing more about as the trial moves forward. We’ll be adding new players as they appear in the trial narrative, so check back for frequent updates.
Katherine Kealoha
The wife of former police chief Louis Kealoha, Katherine Kealoha is at the center of the federal corruption investigation. A former deputy prosecuting attorney who led prosecutions into career criminals. In June, Katherine Kealoha was found guilty of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the criminal case involving the framing her uncle for a mailbox theft. She is being held in federal custody until her sentencing in October. She and Louis Kealoha are also charged with financial crimes relating to her handling of money for her grandmother and uncle as well as stealing money from two children for whom she was appointed as financial guardian. Also charged in a separate case accusing her and her brother of drug dealing. Those trials are scheduled for 2020.
Louis Kealoha
Former Honolulu police chief who was forced to retire in 2017 shortly before he was indicted on charges relating to corruption, conspiracy and financial fraud. He and his wife, Katherine, are accused of framing her uncle for the theft of their mailbox. He is also implicated in bank fraud and financial wrongdoing stemming from the misappropriation of funds from the accounts of two children for whom Katherine was financially responsible. Louis Kealoha oversaw the secretive police investigative unit that has also been implicated in the conspiracy. In June, Louis Kealoha was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the mailbox theft trial.
Gordon Shiraishi
The captain of the HPD Criminal Intelligence Unit. Indicted for participating in the alleged mailbox theft frame job and coverup. Shiraishi is accused of lying to the FBI and making false statements to a federal grand jury about his involvement in the alleged set up. A police academy classmate of Louis Kealoha. In June, Shiraishi was acquitted of all charges related to the Kealoha’s mailbox theft. He retired from HPD before trial.
Derek Hahn
A lieutenant in the HPD Criminal Intelligence Unit. A former business partner with Katherine Kealoha in a solar energy business. Charged with participating in the alleged frame job involving the mailbox theft. Hahn was also accused of filing a false police report about an alleged burglary at the Kealoha home in 2012. In June, Hahn was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the mailbox theft trial.
Minh-Hung “Bobby” Nguyen
An officer assigned to the HPD Criminal Intelligence Unit and accused of participating in the mailbox theft frame job. Lived on the Kealoha property while married to Katherine’s niece. Nguyen is accused of lying to investigators and unlawfully searching Puana’s home in 2011. In June, Nguyen was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the mailbox theft trial.
Niall Silva
Former member of the HPD Criminal Intelligence Unit. First police officer to plead guilty in the conspiracy case. Admitted he falsified records and lied to investigators about details surrounding the stolen mailbox.
Daniel Sellers
A Honolulu police sergeant and former member of the Criminal Intelligence Unit. The second police officer to plead guilty in the case. He was indicted for lying to the FBI about his whereabouts the night the mailbox was stolen and for obstruction of justice for providing false and misleading information to a grand jury. Sellers is also a key figure in the February 2019 indictment of Katherine Kealoha and her brother, Rudolph Puana, for running a prescription drug ring.
J. Michael Seabright
The U.S. District Court judge who is presiding over the criminal cases against Louis and Katherine Kealoha and their alleged co-conspirators. He’s a former federal prosecutor himself, who specialized in white collar and organized crime.
Michael Wheat
Assistant U.S. attorney from San Diego. He is leading the team of special prosecutors and investigators delving into public corruption and abuse of power in Hawaii law enforcement and other agencies.
Colin McDonald
Assistant U.S. attorney from San Diego who is part of special prosecutor Michael Wheat’s team investigating public corruption in Hawaii and is helping question witnesses in the trial.
Joseph Orabona
Assistant U.S. attorney from San Diego who is part of special prosecutor Michael Wheat’s team investigating public corruption in Hawaii and is helping question witnesses in the trial.
Cynthia Kagiwada
Katherine Kealoha’s attorney in the federal criminal cases. She is being paid with public dollars after the Kealohas said they couldn’t afford legal counsel.
Rustam Barbee
Louis Kealoha’s attorney in the federal criminal cases. He is being publicly funded due to his client’s lack of ability to afford legal counsel.
Gerard Puana
Katherine Kealoha’s uncle. Accused of stealing her mailbox in June 2013, three months after he and his mother, Florence, filed a lawsuit against Katherine alleging she’d bilked them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The theft case was dismissed after his attorney convinced federal prosecutors he’d been framed. A jury sided with Katherine in the civil case, however, and the Puanas were ordered to pay her.
Florence Puana
Katherine Kealoha’s grandmother. Age 99. Along with her son, Gerard, had allowed Katherine to handle large financial transactions for her that federal prosecutors say were schemes aimed at propping up the Kealohas’ lifestyle well beyond their means. Lost a civil case to Katherine over the alleged misuse of funds.
Kevin Sumida
Civil lawyer who represented Katherine Kealoha in civil litigation filed against her by Gerard and Florence Puana. Sumida was briefly co-counsel in the criminal case against Kealoha and her husband, Louis. He quit after he said the Kealohas could no longer afford his services. Federal prosecutors also sought to have him ousted from the case due to conflicts of interest.
Alexander Silvert
Gerard Puana’s federal public defender. Discovered his client was apparently being framed for stealing the Kealoha mailbox. Brought in the Justice Department and triggered the still unfolding corruption and conspiracy investigation.
Chuck Totto
Former executive director of the Honolulu Ethics Commission. Began investigating Louis and Katherine Kealoha after their mailbox was stolen in 2013 over concerns about the use of HPD cameras at the Kealohas’ Kahala household. The Kealohas filed a lawsuit against Totto and the commission saying they were unfairly targeted by its investigation.
Keith Kaneshiro
Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney. Katherine Kealoha’s boss for many years. A named target of the Justice Department investigation, he went on paid leave in December after the state attorney general petitioned the Hawaii Supreme Court to have him suspended.
Donna Leong
Honolulu Corporation Counsel, the city’s top civil lawyer. A named target in the Justice Department investigation, Leong went on paid leave in January. The feds are apparently interested in her involvement in the decision to give Louis Kealoa $250,000 in severance pay when he retired from the police department.
Rudolph Puana
Katherine Kealoha’s younger brother. Puana is a double-board certified anesthesiologist who was indicted in January 2019 along with Kealoha for running a prescription drug ring.
