by Andrew Walden

Hawai’i Free Press has obtained a copy of the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Office of Hawaiian Affairs check register in response to an open records request.

The register shows 1,653 checks totaling $32,771,019.05--a spending decrease of $2.38M from last year.

View the check register here:

• XCL: 2021-22 Check Register
• PDF: 2021-22 Check Register

This is the third fiscal year after the departure of former OHA CEO Kamana’o Crabbe.  Is the cash still flowing to insiders?  See for yourself:

Number One on the Hit Parade -- Kuilei Consulting, Inc -- Karl Veto Baker: $1,199,275.57 to funnel money to insiders for promoting OHA’s Kakaako Makai development schemes.  Incorporated April 2, 2021, Kuilei started receiving OHA money with four checks totalling $160,157.00 dated January 6, 2022.  READ: “Dead Bodies, Convicted Felons and Kakaako Makai: Meet the new Gang at OHA.”  NOTE: $1,199,275.57 is the total for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.  Funding for this year’s Kakaako Makai lobbying effort is likely not included.

Here is the breakdown:

$2.1M -- Lobbyists, PR, Kakaako Makai

• $1,199,275.57 Kuilei Consulting, Inc -- Karl Veto Baker funnels money to insiders for promoting OHA’s Kakaako Makai development schemes.  READ: “Dead Bodies, Convicted Felons and Kakaako Makai: Meet the new Gang at OHA.”
• $174,638.75 Kalaimoku Group / John Aeto (advertising)        
• $362,093.52 paid to Broken Trust DC Lobbyists Marsh USA Inc.
• $135,019.73 Solutions Pacific (Ray Soon)
• $184,084.04 Oahu Publications, Inc (Publishes Star-Adv)

Robin Danner Etal -- $262,515.41  (down from $576K last year and $977K year before)

• CNHA  -- $96,279.21 (down from $270K last year and $800K year before)   Oct 2022: Dirty OHA Contract is Model for CNHA Takeover of Tourism Marketing
• Homestead Community Development Corp $106,039.04 -- (down from $217K)
• Edith Kanakaole Foundation -- $60,197.16 -- (down from $88K)

Interesting Factoid: With $977K as a baseline, Danner’s schemes have lost a total of $1.029M over the last two years.  This is very close to the $1.199M scooped up by Kuilei Consulting.  Does OHA have a fixed budget line-item dedicated to grease insiders?

$1.2M -- Consultants, Computer Software, Engineering, Training and Marketing

• $7,902.43  Access Information Management (shredding service)
• $6,420.15 CDW GOVERNMENT, INC. (network solutions)
• $31,449.60 CHERRYROAD TECHNOLOGIES INC. (systems integration and consulting services)
• $65,000.00 DATAHOUSE (consulting)
• $109,289.00 DL CONSULTING LIMITED (Veridian software, NZ)
• $148,245.87 paid to Forest Solutions, LLC -- (owned by Mrs. Michael Saalfeld) See: “Secrecy surrounds Parker Ranch's sale of 3,509 acres to biofuel pioneer” and “Parker Ranch files lawsuit against German industrialist’s 3,500-acre purchase.”
• $7,172.88 FOUNDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
• $65,100.00 Ohanasoft, LLC (Oracle Consultant Joon Kwok)
• $91,504.72 Oracle America, Inc
• $50,000.00 Orrick, Harrington (investment consultants) 
• $4,860.00 PBR Hawaii (planning)
• $18,433.80 QUEST SOFTWARE INC
• $75,273.12 RUNNING LOGISTICS LLC
• $70,611.51 SEGAL ADVISORS, INC. (investment consultants)
• $86,514.37 SHI INTERNATIONAL CORP (Software House Int’l)       
• $12,500.00 Supporting the Language of Kauai, Inc (For OHA Insider Cash Bonanza Comes with Poi Mill)       
• $11,931.73 The SystemCenter, Inc
• $23,390.03 THOUGHTFOCUS, Inc
• $74,999.80 TMB CONSULTING CORP.
• $19,477.80 Wilson Okamoto Co. (engineering and planning)
• $70,029.28 World Wide Technology, Inc
• $3,280.22 WPEngine, Inc
• $54,925.28 Xerox Corp
• $33,785.41 ZR Systems Group, LLC (computer consultants)

$2.1M to Lawyers (NHLC and McCorriston big winners)

• $172,090.63 to Klein Law Group LLLC (see: OHA Sacrifices $3.2M to Hide Lawyer’s Conflict of Interest?)
• $52,985.34 to ES&A, INC which, among other things, in the past defended the OHA LLCs refusal to comply with Hawaii’s open records laws. See: Lawsuit: OHA-Owned Corporations Must Comply With Open Records Laws and OHA’s Hidden LLCs: Why Plead Guilty to Stealing $14M? 
• $25,912.90 to Cades Schutte
• $19,537.09 to Sherry Broder ESQ
• $15,394.57 to Kaneohe Lawyer LLLC
• $1,089.15 Ogawa, Lau, Nakamura & Jew
• $655,867.45 paid to McCorriston Miller.
• $122,739.59 paid to Dentons (formerly Alston Hunt).
• $1,048,800.00 paid to Native Hawaiian Legal Corp.

Over $1.9M to Banks

• $116,532.43 paid to Bank of America.
• $1,721,088.03 paid to Bank of Hawaii.
• $82,960.89 paid to First Hawaiian.

Other Highlights found by searching the register include

• $493,853.18 paid to Kanu o Ka Aina Learning Ohana and another $114,125.50 paid to Kanu o Ka Aina PCS.  Outgoing OHA Trustee Bob Lindsey formerly member of Board.  Flashback: “OHA Chair’s Charter School Gets Seven Times More Than All Other Charters Combined”
• $55,863.50 to Kipuka O Ke Ola (5 Mountains) – Bob Lindsey on Board
• $1,721,088.03 paid to Bank of Hawaii (See: Surprise: Entire OHA Trust Fund Frozen by Gentry Pacific Boondoggle)
• $3,000,000 to DHHL (OHA in 2009 promised to give DHHL $3M per year for 30 yrs)
• $48,290.28 paid to OHA’s Hi’ilei Aloha, LLC.  OHA Trustee Dan Ahuna calls OHAs LLCs ‘a profitable model’ yet they keep getting subsidies year after year.  See: Lawsuit: OHA Uses Corporations to Sidestep Open Meetings Law, Loot Assets, Line Cronies' Pockets 
• $740,893.54 paid to University of Hawaii
• $13,565,948.55 paid to Director of Finance and $1,567,471.34 paid to OHA (payroll)
• $60,877.15 to Ann Sexton, OHA DC Office Manager  
• $25,349.88 to Alu Like     
• $41,126.00 to US Department of the Interior
• $6,705.50 to Chem-Toi -- (telescope protests?)

RELATED:

• OHA Procurement: https://www.oha.org/solicitations
• 2015: After Two Months, OHA Coughs up Check Register
• OHA LLCs Agree to Provide Check Register