Mayor Kenoi arrested on theft charges
HAWAII COUNTY POLICE
Billy Kenoi
Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi turned himself in and was arrested at 11 a.m. today at the Puna police station, a police spokeswoman said.
A bench warrant had been issued for Kenoi’s arrest after a Hilo grand jury indicted him Wednesday on eight criminal charges, including two felony theft charges.
No bail was set, and according to the bench warrant, he was released on his own recognizance.
Police released Kenoi’s mugshot, taken today after his arrest.
Kenoi is accused of misusing his county-issued purchasing card.
The mayor faces charges on: two counts of second-degree theft, a Class C felony; two counts of third-degree theft, misdemeanors; three counts of tampering with a government record, misdemeanors; one count of false swearing, a petty misdemeanor.
The charges are connected to purchases from 2011 to 2015.
Kenoi made more than $129,000 in charges on his county-issued purchasing card, or pCard, while in office. He has subsequently reimbursed the county at least $31,000 for personal charges, including trips to Honolulu hostess bars.
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CORRECTION: Mayor Billy Kenoi charged more than $129,000 on his Hawaii County-issued purchasing card, and subsequently reimbursed the county at least $31,000 for personal charges. A previous version of this story said he made unauthorized purchases of more than $129,000 for personal purposes on the pCard.
55 responses to “Mayor Kenoi arrested on theft charges”
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No bail set, released on his own recognizance… just like every person who is accused of stealing 129K of public monies, including 2 potential felony theft counts. I’m so glad that our public officials are treated fair and square like the rest of us. And yes, I’m being sarcastic.
On the other hand, he’s probably not much a flight risk. Where would he go?
does it matter? The issue here is that the mayor is given privileges that joe public wouldn’t get.
He might seek escape at Club Evergreen.
A meaningless Ceremony : https://shar.es/1YvukZ
No credit.
Lets hope the Judge was smart enough to ask for his passport.
He did apologize and return the stolen tax payer money but only AFTER he was caught. He is done politically but this just may be the tip of the iceberg.
No, that’s not true. He had been doing this for years. He stopped doing it when the news broke, but he had apparently always paid back the money.
allie, don’t count Billy out. Remember Mayor Barry of D.C.? Re-elected for a fourth term as mayor AFTER getting busted and doing time for drug charges. The Dems. and their voters are very forgiving.
Yep. Ol Billy may even be a state senator in a couple years… He’s got the qualifications for sure.
I don’t think he is charged with stealking 129k
They could have arrested him for more felonies.
Apparently if one tampers with documentation to justify legitimate and allowable expenditures, no problem. However, if intent was to mislead then it’s a horse of different color. Like surfboard or massages as necessary business expenses.
The newspaper really should use some other file photo of Billy. The one they keep using makes him look, well, guilty.
All his pictures will look guilty from now on.
He seems indignant!
A simpler expression would be good.
Maybe some pictures at the Korean bars with hostesses all over the place.
Isn’t that his mugshot?
yes
Wow! Hawaii is finally taking a stand for morality, so that high up state officials aren’t above the law! So it s not like no ne cares about such things n Hawaii! Now what about that miscreant UH couple!
Bet 10 to 1 he gets off!
He has Mike Green in his corner–he’ll go free.
Is the great Mike Green his lawyer?
..to protect The Hawaii Bar Association…
Is it possible that Billy is being hammered hard so he is not a threat to the re election of any of our political elite? just saying.
They going real hard but wont even look into whats going on on Oahu…
Poho brah — poho.
Maybe he’ll get the same judge that sentenced Piontek to pay back $200 a month if he still owes any money.
Heck he got his personal credit card mixed up with his government credit card it happens, especially when your in a hostess club…..Don’t want the wife to find out……. 🙂
The prosecutor will have to prove that it was done with the intent to steal!! This will be a hard sell.He did, after all returned the money….Yeah ,Yeah I know after he got caught!!What is those famous word lawyers like to use?? “Irrelevent”.
The charges won’t stick and he will simply walk away a free man!! However i do agree his political career is all PAU! Too bad, a lot of Hawaiians were proud of Billy.A local bradah who made it to the top! IMUA
EVERY PERSON FOUND GUILTY OF STEALING OR ROBBERY WILL APPEAL THEIR CONVICTION, SAYING THAT THEY HAD INTENDED TO RETURN EVERYTHING THAT THEY TOOK…AKA THE KENOI DEFENSE. PRISONS WILL SUDDENLY BECOME UNDER-POPULATED, THUS, RELIEVING OVER-CROWDING…AKA THE KENOI SOLUTION. DOUBLE FAME.
He got caught with his pants down. Now, let’s see if he gets away with a slap on the wrist or will there be real justice for a change.
This is a Theatrical Charade to placate The Fardels… How can everyone ignore the ongoing corruptions of all our elected officials in Hawaii. “Nefarious” is a pre-requisite to being a Politician in Hawaii… And, thank goodness we did not have to see Billy “with his pants down”.
It’ll be an expensive cost for Billy to fight the charges. He has to pay two lawyers for his defense team – unless that has changed.
Details of his affairs will become public. Does he really want to subject his family to the ridicule/shame or should Billy just throw in the towel and confess (already did) then call it a day ?
Some powerful people must really want to bury the mayor. Once a rising star and now arrested. He could always become a comedian–he’s funny!
Billy, your “friends” stabbed you in the back. Now it’s time to make a deal with the FBI and take them down. Man up, Billy.
If that were True and it was actualized; I would make certain that Billy-Boy was Canonized!
(I have “low-friends” in “high-places” in The Vatican) “Saint Billy”..; Y’all genuflect..
kinda feel bad for the wife and kids.
Too bad they can’t arrest Caldwell. He stole and will steal billions.
Convicted of felon should have him removed from the mayor’s position. The people that have jurisdiction over his Pcard should also be indicted for not enforcing the policy and privileges. They should be held accountable especially for letting the mayor misuse and abuse the use of a government charge card for several years. It should have been stopped when he first misused the card. Paying the amount for personal use after the charges is not part of the privileges. They’re all in cahoots.
Too funny. Crack me up. Hawaii sure knows how to take down their own kind, don’t they? #Kaaihue4Congress.
If their own kind does something illegal? Sure.
Wow, the guy look guilty. He should have stuck to being an attorney. Then he could have only stolen from his clients and would not even have been criminally charged and
not even disbarred. Kind of having a license to steal.
His Dad was right.
He should have did the Kealoha defense. Wasn’t me was somebody else.
The Kenoi/Kealoha defense. Not me was somebody else.
And…., UH Manoa administrators squander hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars and are not held accountable. Is anyone checking into the “kickbacks” for administrators that supposedly went on during the building of the Cancer Center?
Billy will – and should be – Governor or US Senator within 5 years. Good luck with this pathetic attempt at a political hatchet job. He will almost certainly be exonerated and his cowardly detractors will be exposed. Here’s hoping that Billy has a very long memory.
wipe that smerk off punk…………
He can’t. It’s permanent!
His mugshot shows he could be the next spokesperson for Citibank or American Express credit cards…..lol
I guarantee you, if it were one of us “little people” who did the same thing as Billy, we would have been fired, and before a judge a loooong time before this. Rank has it’s privileges, as the saying goes. The same goes for that liar Hillary.
Braddah look stoned… like he smoked a joint or two before he turned himself in lol.