Kenoi’s trial set; mayor pleads not guilty

Mayor Billy Kenoi pleaded not guilty today to charges related to his use of a county credit card.

His trial is scheduled to start July 18.

Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura oversaw his arraignment but said he didn’t know what judge would handle the trial.

Kenoi’s attorney, Todd Eddins, said the mayor will fight the charges.

Kenoi is charged with two counts each of second- and third-degree theft, three counts of tampering with public records, plus a single count of making a false statement under oath.

The charges follow a year-long investigation by the state attorney general’s office into Kenoi’s use of his purchasing card, known as a pCard. The investigation started after Big Island newspapers reported Kenoi used his pCard for an $892 tab at Club Evergreen, a Honolulu hostess bar.

In total, the mayor racked up almost $130,000 in charges on the card between January 2009 and March 2015.

Kenoi reimbursed the county for $22,292 in personal charges between those dates. He later paid back approximately $9,500 more.

The most severe charge Kenoi faces, second-degree theft, is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.