In 2022, a grand jury indicted the former Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney and several employees of Mitsunaga & Associates, Inc., its owner, and its attorney Sherri Jean Tanaka, for conspiracy to commit bribery. In early 2024, a month before trial, the presiding judge and all other judges in the District of Hawaii recused.
News reports and other sources later revealed that federal agents executed multiple search warrants investigating a claim that Ms. Tanaka conspired to murder the presiding judge and lead prosecutor in her bribery case. To date, however, the government has not brought any charges against Ms. Tanaka related to the alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy. Nor has there been any public explanation about what happened to the federal investigation.
On May 27, 2026, Public First moved to unseal those search warrant proceedings to better understand the Government’s alleged basis for the warrants. The motion will be decided by the Honorable Shanlyn A.S. Park. No. 26-MC-199.