Alicia Maluafiti, a politically connected lobbyist who used to run an Oahu-based veterinary clinic, will avoid prison time after she admitted to using a vet’s credentials to order drugs for animals who underwent spay and neuter surgeries.

Maluafiti was charged last year with 27 felony counts of using a Drug Enforcement Administration registration issued to another person – charges that carried up to four years in prison for each count.

However, prosecutors dropped the case and refiled it as a misdemeanor after the credentials of the veterinarian in question were found to have been used at a separate vet clinic, according to Maluafiti’s attorney Megan Kau.

Ultimately, Maluafiti pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.

In a plea agreement, she admitted that her clinic used a vet’s Drug Enforcement Agency registration number to obtain veterinary drugs, including ketamine and diazepam. This occurred on at least 27 occasions between 2018 and 2020, according to the agreement.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Jill Otake imposed a $2,500 fine and a $25 special assessment.

“I think it was a fair and just outcome,” Kau told Civil Beat on Thursday, adding that her client continues to advocate for animals. “She is very well-known and respected in that community as somebody who cares for animals and puts herself behind animals and the community. I believe she will be able to continue doing her deed.”