Dalton Tanonaka

From dKosopedia

Dalton Tanonaka, who was born in Kohala on the Big Island, graduated Kalani High School on Oahu. Tanonaka, a member of the Republican Party ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2002 and against Rep. Neil Abercrombie in 2004.

On Nov. 4, 2005, Judge Helen Gillmor sentenced Tanonaka to three months in prison, three months home detention and a $10,000 fine. Tanonaka potentially faced up to 30 years in prison. Tanonaka plead guilty to illegally financing campaigns for lieutenant governor and Congress with about $80,000 in loans. He hid the debts from a bank to get other loans and he kept a consulting contract with a Japanese lumber company undisclosed. Star-Bulletin reporter Nelson Daranciang added key pieces of the puzzle to his story yesterday on the sentencing of former journalist and candidate Dalton Tanonaka. His story makes clear that the case wasn't simply about failing to report campaign cash. It was also about the selling of influence.

Tanonaka had failed to disclose a $10,000 per month "consulting" contract, plus a 5 percent kicker on any sales over $5 million, from an individual and company pushing to obtain timber harvesting rights from the state. They were identified in court documents only by their initials. But Daranciang adds important information: IDB is Incentive Design Builders and its owner is Kyle Dong. Dong also owns Koa Timber, which was to do the logging, and Hawaii Forest Preservation, LLC, which owns koa and ohia forests on the Big Island.

In 2004, the state fined Koa Timber and Hawaii Forest Preservation $149,430 for illegally harvesting koa and ohia trees on land in the state conservation district. The companies later withdrew their application.

The Hawaii State Campaign Spending Commission has also assessed Tanonaka the $7,500 for failing to report contributions from four donors totaling $83,000. He also will have to amend his campaign spending disclosure statements. [1]