Democrat megadonor Milton Choy has just been sentenced to 41 months in prison by Honolulu District Court Judge Derrick Watson in connection with a multi-million dollar bribery scheme.
A shocking investigation revealed Choy spending over two million dollars bribing bribing former Maui Department of Environmental Management director Stewart Stant for over 19 million dollars in no-bid contracts.
UPDATE | Honolulu businessman Milton Choy was sentenced to more than three years in prison for his involvement in a Maui County bribery case. https://t.co/1DdHFTIoVM
— KITV4 (@KITV4) August 30, 2023
In addition to bribing Stant, Choy also bribed J. Kalani English and Ty Cullen, two former Hawaii state lawmakers who were found guilty of Honest Services Wire Fraud and subsequently sentenced to Federal prison.
Michael Green, the lawyer for Choy’s defense case noted that his client had been cooperative with law enforcement investigators throughout the process which helped bring corrupt officials to justice.
Choy has given well over $300,000 in political donations to Democratic officials campaigns as recorded by Open Secrets.
In October 2018 alone he donated $10,000 to the Democratic Party of California raising further questions about corruption within Maui County as Lahaina rebuilds after devastating fires razed the island recently.
Many residents are rightly concerned about where their tax money is going when such shady deals are being made behind closed doors by those charged with protecting them, who are working against them for personal gain instead.
That being said there needs to be greater transparency when it comes awarding government contracts so we can ensure our hard earned dollars aren’t lining someone’s pockets illegally but rather being used properly.
