Katherine Kealoha’s ‘Alison Lee Wong’ resurfaces in bizarre court filing

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A Bank of Hawaii employee has had the legal names “Alison Lee” — and then “Alison Wong” when she married.

But she was never “Alison Lee Wong,” the infamous imaginary person ex-deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha used to conceal illegal activity.

Hawaii News Now tracked down the bank employee after her business card was included in a federal court motion for a Kauai woman who seems to have ties to Kealoha.

Leihinahina Sullivan is accused of wire fraud and identity theft.

She is being held at the Federal Detention Center, the same facility that Kealoha is in as she awaits sentencing for bank fraud, identity theft, conspiracy and obstruction.

Sullivan, an attorney, is representing herself and filed a hand-written motion last month to have Chief Judge J. Michael Seabright recused from her case. She claims bias.

Seabright presided over the Kealoha cases, too, and Sullivan makes bold claims that he “prejudged (Kealoha) to be Alison Lee Wong ... when there is evidence to the contrary.”

Sullivan says the business card is evidence that the woman exists.

Alison Lee Wong is an alias Kealoha used to notarize fraudulent documents, send emails for events and write letters of recommendation when Kealoha was up for a job.

Through a spokesman, the bank employee tells Hawaii News Now that she was contacted by the FBI but there was no follow-up. She also says she has never been a notary and has never met Kealoha.

The spokesman also said the business card is old. In fact, that branch has since closed down.

So how did Leihinahina Sullivan get the card while in jail?

Ken Lawson, of the University of Hawaii Law School, says if Kealoha gave it to her the judge could see it as Kealoha influencing another inmate and could have a negative impact at Kealoha’s sentencing in March.

“It’s dangerous,” he said.

Earle Partington, one of Kealoha’s attorneys, has seen the same business card but denies that his client would share it. “I can tell you that Katherine Kealoha did not give her the card,” he said.

Partington says Kealoha has stopped talking to Sullivan and avoids contact in common areas of the jail to eliminate suspicion that the two are working together.

Sullivan’s motion to have the judge recused was denied by another federal judge. Sullivan is appealing that decision.

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