Mayor Billy Kenoi was acquitted of all charges Tuesday in his criminal trial in Hilo Circuit Court. ADVERTISING Mayor Billy Kenoi was acquitted of all charges Tuesday in his criminal trial in Hilo Circuit Court. A 12-person jury, consisting of
Mayor Billy Kenoi was acquitted of all charges Tuesday in his criminal trial in Hilo Circuit Court.
A 12-person jury, consisting of Hawaii Island residents, found the mayor not guilty of two counts second-degree theft, two counts of third-degree theft and one count of false swearing for alleged abuse of his county credit card, known as a pCard.
The mayor’s supporters applauded, and some cried, after Judge Dexter Del Rosario read the verdict.
“Praise, God,” one woman said as she left the courthouse.
Kenoi left after hugging family and friends without making a comment.
The state attorney general’s office charged Kenoi following a year-long investigation into spending of county funds.
The office based its case on 15 pCard transactions from 2011-2014 that primarily focused on large alcohol purchases that were later reimbursed.
