Ceremony scheduled for US warship named after Daniel Inouye
HONOLULU — Irene Hirano Inouye, the widow of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, will head to Maine in May for the keel-joining ceremony of the $1.5 billion destroyer named for her late-husband, who was a Medal of Honor recipient and legendary Hawaii lawmaker.
Inouye will be the ship’s sponsor at the ceremony scheduled for May 14.
“It’s something that I know he would be extremely proud of,” Inouye said. “He would also feel it was a tribute to those that he served with in the military and for the sacrifices that they made.”
Delivery of the USS Daniel Inouye has slipped more than a year due to a schedule change with the contractor, which means the 510-foot (155-meter) warship won’t arrive in Hawaii until 2020. The Navy said the USS Daniel Inouye’s completion was delayed so the shipyard where it is being built can also work on other vessels.
Shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works started fabrication on the USS Daniel Inouye in October 2014. The vessel was originally expected to be delivered to the Navy late this year.
Then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced in 2013 that the destroyer would be named after Daniel Inouye, whom he called “a true American hero.”
Daniel Inouye, part of the fabled Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, lost his right arm attacking multiple German machine gun positions in Italy in 1945.
He went on to become one of the most powerful members of the U.S. Senate. He died in late 2012.
Former flight inspector pleads guilty to wire fraud in Guam
HAGATNA, Guam — A former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector pleaded guilty in Guam to three counts of honest services wire fraud, according to court documents.
The case against Timothy J. Cislo was unsealed last week after he entered a plea deal, the Pacific Daily News reported .
Cislo is accused of issuing certificates to Hansen Helicopters Inc. without inspecting the helicopters in exchange for an airplane for his personal use.
Cislo was tasked with issuing and reissuing airworthiness certificates, which are official documents that allow aircrafts to operate, from about May 2014 through January 2018. During that time, Cislo and others were part of a scheme in which Cislo received a Taylorcraft BC-12D aircraft, worth $20,000, from Hansen Helicopters, according to the documents.
Cislo was an inspector in Hawaii when he received the aircraft. Cislo kept the airplane for his private use and in exchange, he issued and reissued special airworthiness certificates to Hansen’s without inspecting or examining the helicopters, according to the documents.
A May 2014 email between Cislo and Hansen employee Kenneth Rufus Crowe mentioned the aircraft Cislo received. After the email exchange, $22,500 was transferred from a Bank of Hawaii account to “E.J.S.” to buy the aircraft, according to the documents.
If convicted, he could face 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.