Big Island mayor pleads not guilty

HILO >> Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi pleaded not guilty to theft charges in connection with misuse of his Hawaii County-issued purchasing card and is scheduled to go on trial in July.

Kenoi made his initial court appearance Wednesday in Circuit Court in Hilo, where he was arraigned before Judge Greg Nakamura.

The mayor is charged with two counts of second-degree theft, a Class C felony; two counts of third-degree theft, a misdemeanor; and one count of false swearing (making a false statement under oath), a petty misdemeanor. Kenoi, 47, was indicted last week by a Hilo grand jury.

The charges stem from transactions made on his pCard from 2011 to 2015.

Represented by attorneys Todd Eddins and Richard Sing, Kenoi was accompanied by his wife, Takako.

He made no statements during the proceedings, and Eddins told the court Kenoi was pleading not guilty to the charges.

His lawyers requested a jury trial, which was set for 9 a.m. July 18.

Eddins spoke to reporters outside of court after the proceedings.

“The County of Hawaii is not out one penny. Mayor Kenoi has not enriched himself one penny. Mayor Kenoi has not committed a crime. It’s an overreach to call him a thief. Mayor Billy Kenoi will fight these flimsy charges all the way,” he said.

From 2009 until last year, when allegations of misuse came to light in a West Hawaii Today story, Kenoi had charged more than $129,000 on his pCard. He has acknowledged that some of the charges were personal, and subsequently reimbursed the county at least $31,000.

The state Attorney General’s Office spent nearly a year looking into the mayor’s pCard spending, and a Hawaii County grand jury returned an indictment on March 23.

Attorney General Doug Chin has declined to give further details on the charges. “What led us to charge those particular counts will be presented at trial,” he said after the indictment was returned.

Kenoi charged $129,580.73 on his pCard, which included lavish spending at luxury hotels, restaurants and bars in Hawaii and on trips to Japan; the Philippines; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas; Texas; and San Francisco.

Kenoi also used his pCard to pay for a $1,200 surfboard and his $565 Hawaii State Bar Association dues. He also spent $400 at the Camelot Restaurant and Lounge hostess bar and $892 at the Club Evergreen hostess bar — both in Honolulu.

Kenoi has publicly apologized and taken responsibility for his actions.

Eddins said Kenoi’s defense team would be reviewing the grand jury indictment and the evidence, but he was not ready to comment further on the case. He said there had been “no negotiation for a plea deal” despite some reports.

Eddins said Kenoi was, “feeling good,” adding, “He’s going about doing what he’s always done … working tirelessly for the county.”