Mitsunaga ordered behind bars, following allegations of witness tampering

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A high-profile businessman who is already a co-defendant in the Keith Kaneshiro bribery and corruption trial has been ordered behind bars for the remainder of the case due to allegations of witness tampering and obstruction.

On Friday, officials arrested Dennis Mitsunaga after federal prosecutors accused him of plotting with one witness to lure another witness into meeting to threaten and intimidate him to change his testimony.

This comes after an emergency proclamation was filed on April 14, when prosecutors accused the defense of violating multiple protective orders.

Court documents said that Mitsunaga’s tampering with witnesses is “direct evidence of the conspiracy.”

Prosecutors allege Mitsunaga of attempting to threaten and intimidate the witness into changing his testimony.

Documents said “the Ninth Circuit has stated that efforts to intimidate witnesses into ‘withholding information’ shows ‘consciousness of guilt — second only to a confession in terms of probative value.'”

Mitsunaga’s attorney argued for house arrest instead, arguing that his age and health conditions made imprisonment unfair.

In the judge’s eyes, Mitsunaga has taken action to corrupt the trial “right in the middle of it,” ordering him to stay at the federal detention center.

“Somebody detained because they were tampering with witnesses is a very, very serious event that’s happening in this trial,” said legal analyst Doug Chin. “It hardly ever happens because most people would never even dream of doing something like this.”

Mitsunaga, Kaneshiro and others are standing trial for an alleged bribery scheme in which a former Mitsunaga employee was prosecuted as a favor in exchange for campaign donations.

Mitsunaga’s family was present at court as the judge;s order to detain was handed down. At this time, his wife has declined to speak on camera, but a family representative called Mitsunaga “a good man.”