US prosecutors seek to disqualify Kealoha attorneys

Federal prosecutors pursuing corruption charges against former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha and his wife are seeking to disqualify their lawyers.

A motion filed in court Friday alleged that attorneys Myles Breiner and Kevin Sumida have conflicts of interest that prevent them from fairly representing Katherine Kealoha.

The motion said Sumida is a potential witness in the case and that Katherine Kealoha used Sumida's office for a secret meeting with a grand jury witness where she discussed a forged document.

Meanwhile, prosecutors said Breiner is in conflict because he has represented a number of people who have sued the former chief and the HPD for civil rights violations.

Investigators also interviewed a former client of Breiner's, Tracy Yoshimura, who alleged that Breiner and Katherine Kealoha were sharing confidential information about both state and federal grand juries.

Federal prosecutors included transcript of their interview with Yoshimura, who was being prosecuted by Kealoha and City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro on gambling charges. Yoshimura said Katherine Kealoha leaked information to Breiner to help convince him to represent her.

In particular, Yoshimura said she revealed to Breiner the time and date that her boss Kaneshiro testified before the federal grand jury. Yoshimura said he later alerted the media

Breiner and Sumida couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

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