Judge: 'This Is Called Public Corruption'

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An elderly architect convicted of bribery for trying to slip a Honolulu permit reviewer some cash – what he said was $20 for oxtail soup – was sentenced on Thursday to two years of probation.

Hawaiʻi Circuit Court Judge Kevin Souza found Kiyoshi Toi, 92, guilty last year of trying to pass money to a city employee through a handshake in November 2022. The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting worker, Alexander Laurente, refused the money and reported the incident.

Honolulu deputy prosecutor Lydia Fuatagavi asked the court for two days of prison time, minus time served, and four years of probation. But Souza said incarceration would cause an “excessive hardship.”

Two years of probation will achieve the goals of sentencing, the judge said, which include acknowledging the seriousness of the offense and serving as a deterrent to others. Toi must also pay a $10,000 fine and attend an ethics class, the judge ruled.

“We cannot tolerate, in this community, a pay to play culture,” Souza said. “This is called public corruption, and this is how the community loses trust in our government institutions.”

The case, prosecuted by Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm’s office, follows a string of high-profile federal bribery prosecutions in recent years involving DPP. Five former DPP workers and architect Bill Wong were indicted in 2021 and later pleaded guilty. All served prison time.

In those cases, employees admitted taking much larger sums of money – ranging from $820 to over $100,000 – in exchange for giving customers special treatment.

Hawaiʻi Judge Kevin Souza said “pay to play culture” cannot be tolerated.

Applicants have sought to cut the permitting line at DPP, whose in-depth review process can drag on for months or even years.

Property owners and businesses have complained prolonged review time drains them financially in holding costs and rising expenses for labor and materials. Mayor Rick Blangiardi, now in his second term, has vowed to fix it but hasn’t declared victory yet.

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