Honolulu Police Major Indicted for Corruption
UPDATED 2/19/11 1:30 p.m.
A federal grand jury has indicted a Honolulu Police Department major1 for corruption, including extortion involving an illegal game room.
Major Carlton S. Nishimura, 55, allegedly received regular sums of money over a three-year period from a woman who obtained the monies from an illegal game room in Honolulu.
After the FBI began asking questions, Nishimura allegedly tried to hinder their investigation and tamper with a witness. The indictment accuses Nishimura of approaching the woman and attempting to “corruptly persuade” her not to tell federal authorities about the money she’d given him.
Instead, Nishimura told her to tell FBI agents that he had merely worked with her to insert undercover police officers into illegal game rooms. On the contrary, federal authorities allege that Nishimura had been taking money from her on a regular basis since 2004.
The three-count indictment also accuses Nishimura of making false statements to the FBI.
Nishimura, of Waianae, was a captain at the time of the alleged crimes. He has been with HPD for 30 years, says department spokeswoman Michelle Yu. Though stripped of his police powers and his gun, he has not been put on leave and is still actively employed — in the department’s legislative liaison office.
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An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Nishimura as a captain — that was his rank at the time of the alleged crimes. He is currently a major in the police department.
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