Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, September 15, 2022
Indictments: Choy Paid $2M Bribes to Maui County Environmental Management Director
By News Release @ 11:57 PM :: 2255 Views :: Maui County, Ethics

Mayor Victorino releases statement on federal corruption charges

News Release from Office of the Mayor, Maui County Sept 16, 2022

To clarify confusion arising from Federal felony charges against former Maui County official Stewart Stant and business owner Milton Choy, Mayor Michael Victorino released the following statement today: 

“Allow me to be crystal clear. The events that led to corruption charges involving former Maui County official Stewart Stant and Honolulu businessman Milton Choy occurred during the previous administration.

I strongly condemn public corruption in all forms. I am committing my administration to fully cooperate with law enforcement investigators. 

Yesterday, I ordered an audit of all no-bid contracts awarded to Mr. Choy's companies both current and past.

Hawaii’s procurement laws ensure fair and transparent handling of government purchases. Whenever corruption undermines the public trust, those responsible must be investigated, prosecuted, and punished to the fullest extent of the law. I cannot, and I will not, tolerate such betrayals of public trust.

  *   *   *   *   *

Former Maui Public Official and Honolulu Businessman Charged with Federal Bribery and Honest Services Fraud Offenses

News Release from US DoJ, September 15, 2022

HONOLULU – United States Attorney Clare E. Connors and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill announced that Stewart Olani Stant, 55, a former Maui County public official, and Milton Choy, 60, a Honolulu businessman, have been charged with felony offenses stemming from their operation of a long running bribery scheme. The charges—which were brought in two separate criminal Informations unsealed today—allege that Choy bribed Stant with cash, bank deposits, and gambling trips to Las Vegas in order to receive lucrative sole source contracts from Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management. A court appearance for both defendants is scheduled for Monday, September 19th.

One Information alleges that Stant was a public official employed by Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management (“DEM”), and served as its Director between approximately December 2015 and December 2018. The Information alleges that between October 2012 and December 2018, Stant accepted bribes from Choy comprised of cash, bank deposits, casino chips, travel benefits, and/or other gifts, totaling up to $2,000,000, in exchange for Stant’s agreement, in his official capacity as a Maui County official at DEM, to steer and award over $19 million dollars in sole source contracts and purchase orders to Choy’s company, H2O Processes, LLC. This Information charges that by accepting the bribes to funnel contracts to H2O, and corruptly failing to disclose them, Stant conspired to commit honest services wire fraud and deprived the citizens of Maui County of their right to his honest and conflict free services as a public official.

A second Information charges Choy with corruptly bribing Stant over the same six-year period alleged in the Stant Information. Choy’s Information charges that his bribery of a local official, Stant, violated federal law because the value of the contracts exceeded $5,000 and Maui County received more than $10,000 in federal funding during each of the calendar years of the continuing bribery scheme.

If convicted, Stant faces a sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted, Choy faces a sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000. An Information is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The investigation in the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ken Sorenson, Micah Smith and Michael Albanese of the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case.

---30---

BACKGROUND:
 
 
Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT