Felony charges related to campaign donations are a rarity in Hawaiʻi, although reforms passed in 2022 helped in bringing a new case.

People with ties to government contracts would be banned from political donations.

Former Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the deals represent the “last chapter of the Kealoha scandal.” 

People have been waiting way too long for permits, with many applications literally taking years, but city data suggests the system is gaining speed.

Christopher Dawson, the founder of the Dawson family of companies, died by suicide as he faced potential criminal charges for alleged financial crimes.

Civil Beat has been trying to get the investigative files on public officials convicted of bribery for more than a year.

Luana Mahi may have recused herself from decisions involving the contracts but she still signed off or recommended approval of contracts.

There’s an ongoing review of grants administered by the Office of Economic Development under director Luana Mahi.

Details of the grant awards and conflicts of interest were contained in a redacted ethics advisory opinion in July.

Learn what it takes to pull off an investigation into public corruption.