Kauai lawmaker pleads no contest in campaign finance case

HONOLULU (AP) - State Rep. James Tokioka is pleading no contest to filing an incomplete and inaccurate campaign committee report.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Tokioka is also agreeing to pay a $1,000 fine.

Attorney General Doug Chin told reporters after a court hearing Monday his office pursued the case in part because of complaints from the public.

The lawmaker from Kauai and his defense attorney say the entire complaint was motivated by Tokioka's opponents in the 2014 elections. They say Tokioka never deliberately tried to deceive the public by failing to report the proceeds from two Honolulu fundraising events.

The 54-year-old Tokioka apologizes and says the error was a "miscommunication" and an "oversight" on the part of his volunteer campaign workers. He says the volunteers had difficulty verifying addresses on the checks.