HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The wife of longtime State Senator Fred Hemmings must pay $4,500 in fines and perform 150 hours of community service for stealing from a non-profit organization she used to run.
Circuit Judge Glenn Kim on Wednesday sentenced Lydia Hemmings on three counts of third-degree theft. Deputy Attorney General Lance Goto says Mrs. Hemmings stole about $4,000 from Blueprint for Change, an organization that fights for the safety and well-being of at-risk children, while she was its executive director.
Senator Hemmings, a Republican representing Kailua, Lanikai, Waimanalo and Hawaii Kai, accompanied his wife to her arraignment last year, but was not in the courtroom for her sentencing.
Under a deal with prosecutors, Mrs. Hemmings pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and avoided jail time. An Oahu grand jury had indicted her on three counts of second-degree theft, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
When the judge asked her if she could pay her fines at a rate of $500 a month, Mrs. Hemmings responded that that was "a little steep." The judge then set her monthly payment at $300.
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