Candidates aim to restore faith in the Honolulu prosecutor’s office

It’s an open race for Honolulu prosecutor in the 2020 election, providing voters a chance to restore public confidence in the office in the wake of recent scandals.

Head prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro took a leave of absence from his post last year after being notified by federal authorities that he was a target in a criminal investigation involving former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha and his wife Katherine Kealoha, one of Kaneshiro’s deputies.

Katherine Kealoha was convicted last year of federal conspiracy and obstruction charges along with her husband and two other police officers.

Kaneshiro understandably is not seeking reelection this year, after serving as city prosecutor a total of 16 years.

Seven candidates are vying to be the next Honolulu prosecutor, who serves a four-year term.

Former Judge Steven Alm, 67, was a Circuit Court judge for 15 years and was named U.S. attorney in 1994 by then-President Bill Clinton. He has said his priorities are putting dangerous offenders in prison and working with local communities to reduce crime.

RJ Brown, 34, a onetime Honolulu deputy prosecutor now in private practice, is running on a promise to reform the criminal justice system. A former reporter for Honolulu Civil Beat before starting his legal career, Brown said on his website that he wants to enhance public safety, support rehabilitation and restorative justice, and implement diversion programs for nonviolent offenders as an alternative to prison time.

Public defender Jacquie Esser, 38, has been an attorney for 10 years. She has said her priorities include giving a voice to victims and demanding equal enforcement of the law.

Esser moved from Arizona to Hawaii to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and a law degree.

Former deputy prosecutor Megan Kau, 42, is an attorney specializing in civil and criminal litigation. While with the Prosecutor’s Office, she worked in the Career Criminal Division where she handled trials involving high-profile murders, sex assaults and other violent crimes.

Kau won the first conviction in Hawaii for promoting prostitution in the first degree.

Criminal defense attorney Tae Kim is a Kaneohe resident who earned a bachelor’s degree from UH and his law degree from the University of Oklahoma. He has been practicing criminal law in Honolulu since 1992.

He has said criminal prosecution is “all about accountability,” citing the need for transparency, coordination among law enforcement interests and legislation to better serve the law-abiding public.

Acting Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Nadamoto, 68, has served in his role since March 2019 when Kaneshiro went on voluntary leave. He refers to himself as a “law-and-order prosecutor” and insisted he was not involved in any wrongdoing in the Kealoha affair after being subpoenaed in the case and testifying before a grand jury.

Anosh Yaqoob has been in private practice since 2009 and ran against Kaneshiro four year ago. He was born and raised on Oahu and graduated from the University of Hawaii before attending the William S. Richardson School of Law.

Yaqoob has said he is different because he’s not a political insider.