HONOLULU — A U.S. judge is allowing the release on bond of a Hilo doctor accused of dealing opioids with his sister, a former Honolulu deputy prosecutor.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Puglisi also is allowing his sister, Katherine Kealoha, to be released pending trial.
Dr. Rudolph Puana, an anesthesiologist who operates Aloha Pain Clinic in Hilo, and Kealoha pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a 54-count indictment alleging the former prosecutor used her position to cover up their crimes.
Prosecutors had asked for Puana to be detained without bail because he’s a drug addict and a “gun enthusiast.”
Puana used his pain clinic to distribute and dispense “immense” amounts of controlled substances including Oxycodone, Xanax and Fentanyl, prosecutors said. He and unnamed co-conspirators sold or bartered the prescription drugs for other drugs such as cocaine, prosecutors said.
When a police officer notified Kealoha that her brother and a co-conspirator were buying and using cocaine, she “arranged to have herself assigned as the prosecutor” of the investigation, the indictment said.
According to the motion prosecutors filed asking Puana be detained, he was in rehab last year, and he has owned numerous firearms, including handguns and rifles.
“The Red-headed Hawaiian: The inspiring story about a local boy from rural Hawaii who makes good,” is the title of Puana’s memoir he co-wrote with childhood friend and novelist Chris McKinney.
The memoir describes how Puana was teased for his red hair, struggled as a student and then graduated from Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska, where he met his wife, Lynn. According to court records, they have since divorced.
Kealoha and her now-retired Honolulu police chief husband are scheduled for trial next month in a separate indictment accusing them of framing her uncle for stealing their home mailbox.
Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro and Honolulu Corporation Counsel Donna Leong received letters saying they’re targets in the ongoing investigation.
On Tuesday, state Attorney General Clare Connors asked the Hawaii Supreme Court to immediately suspend Kaneshiro because he is a target in the investigation.
Connors called the petition “unprecedented.”
A court hearing is scheduled Thursday for a separate petition by a Honolulu businessman calling for Kaneshiro’s impeachment.
Bill McCorriston, an attorney representing Kaneshiro, confirmed that Kaneshiro received a letter saying he is a target of the investigation, but he contends Connors’ petition is speculative and based on media reports. McCorriston said there’s no dysfunction in the prosecutor’s office and Kaneshiro deserves a presumption of innocence.
Leong, Honolulu’s chief legal officer, took a leave of absence after receiving a target letter linked to the corruption investigation. Chasid Sapolu, Honolulu’s second-highest-ranking prosecutor, announced a leave of absence after receiving a subject letter, which is less serious than a target letter.
