Acting prosecutor Nadamoto formally announces run for the position

Honolulu’s acting city prosecutor, Dwight Nadamoto, on Monday formally kicked off his campaign for election to the job.

Nadamoto became acting prosecutor after Keith Kaneshiro received a target letter in the federal corruption probe of former Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha. Kaneshiro has been on paid leave since March 7, 2019, and has been the subject of an impeachment attempt in the wake of the Kealoha scandal.

Nadamoto is running against several other declared candidates, including former Deputy Prosecutor Megan Kau; Deputy Public Defender Jacquelyn Esser; retired Judge, Prosecutor and U.S. Attorney Steven Alm; former Deputy Prosecuting Attorney RJ Brown; and practicing criminal attorney Tae Kim.

Nadamoto made his announcement with his wife, Cheryl, and their twin sons, Zeke and Eli, 19, in front of Circuit Court.

He filed papers to join the prosecutor’s race Dec. 23 with the state Office of Elections. The delay between the filing and his formal announcement was because, he said, he wanted “to see who would run.”

Referring to himself as a “law and order prosecutor,” he characterized his opponents as “soft on crime.” He said that his office testified against a bill that would reduce the possession of dangerous drugs — including methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine — in any amount under one-sixteenth of an ounce from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Nadamoto was subpoenaed in the Kealoha investigation in November and testified before the grand jury. Katherine Kealoha and her estranged husband, former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha, are scheduled for sentencing on March 17.

Nadamoto said that he “had nothing to do with the Kealohas.”

To restore public confidence in his office, he said he has implemented tighter internal controls, supported an audit of the prosecutor’s office and initiated an anonymous tip line to report issues.

In a news release following his announcement, Nadamoto criticized his opponents as “a group of inexperienced defense attorneys” and “the architect of a probation program that jeopardizes public safety.”

“Honolulu cannot afford another catch-and-release prosecutor,” he said.

Nadamoto has been a prosecutor for over 30 years.