Here’s how much the federal government has shelled out for the Kealohas’ defense

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - The federal government has paid out nearly $700,000 in legal expenses for the Kealohas and one of their co-defendants.

The fees and costs were detailed in a report from the federal court Thursday, after the Civil Beat Law Center moved for the public release of the payment vouchers.

It shows that before Katherine Kealoha fired her, attorney Cynthia Kagiwada was paid $206,444 in fees.

The federal government also paid fees to Kagiwada’s associate, a paralegal and other expenses for a total of $408,938 in costs for Katherine Kealoha.

Louis Kealoha’s attorney Rustam Barbee collected $251,197 in fees and costs and the defense of officer Minh-Hung “Bobby” Nguyen cost $36,935.

The federal judge found that the Kealohas and Nguyen could not afford to mount an effective defense so taxpayers must pay.

These costs were only up until Nov. 5, and will continue to add up through sentencing in March.

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