FORMER HONOLULU CITY AND COUNTY EMPLOYEE CHARGED IN ALLEGED $800,000 HAWAIʻI FOODBANK FRAUD SCHEME
CLUE: Since there is no allegation that Kishida pocketed any of the money, it is logical to assume this is part of a broader conspiracy by which somebody higher up took money. If this were the Feds, the indictment would be a pressure tactic on Kishida. Since this is the AG, apparently Kishida is expected to be the fall guy.
News Release 2026-35 from Department of the Attorney General, June 22, 2026
HONOLULU – The Department of the Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD) has charged former City and County of Honolulu employee Dexter Kishida with Theft in the First Degree, Forgery in the Second Degree and Official Misconduct in connection with an alleged scheme that caused the Hawaiʻi Foodbank to expend approximately $800,000 based on false representations that reimbursement funding was available. He was arrested today by SIPD on the charges.
The felony information case, filed in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, alleges that between December 2021 and August 2023, Kishida, while employed as the Food Security and Sustainability Program Manager for the City and County of Honolulu’s Office of Economic Revitalization, represented to the Hawaiʻi Foodbank that CARES Act funding was available and persuaded the organization to purchase and distribute approximately $800,000 worth of food for Oʻahu residents. The Hawaiʻi Foodbank was allegedly never reimbursed for those expenditures.
The charges further allege that Kishida created or altered a City and County purchase order and fabricated emails to make it appear that reimbursement was being processed, despite knowing there was no authorized contract or funding for the project.
“When public officials allegedly misuse their positions and provide false information that causes significant financial harm, we have a responsibility to investigate thoroughly and pursue accountability through the criminal justice system,” said Attorney General Anne Lopez.
Theft in the First Degree is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. Forgery in the Second Degree and Official Misconduct are class C felonies punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The case, State v. Dexter Kishida, 1CPC-26-0000756, is being prosecuted by SIPD Deputy Attorney General Cheuk Fu Lui. Arraignment is scheduled for June 29, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.
Kishida is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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PDF: COMPLAINT (There is no claim that Kishida put any money in his own pocket. There must be more to this story.)
BACKGROUND:
Jan 2026: Auditor: Not Much to Show for $324.3M Burned by City Office of Economic Revitalization
Jan 2025: The recent departure of a second deputy director in the state Department of Agriculture is stoking anxiety over its ability to reinvigorate a sagging industry in Hawaiʻi. Dexter Kishida submitted his resignation last month, officially starting a new role on Jan. 2 with the Department of Transportation.
Dec 2020: The DOE food services branch has lost some key personnel in the last several months. Dexter Kishida, the former Farm to School coordinator, left in August to work for the City and County of Honolulu as Food Security and Sustainability Program Manager, though he has since moved to the Office of Economic Revitalization. At the DOE, Kishida had been in charge of expanding initiatives like a DOE mobile food truck that delivers meals to hungry kids over the summer.
COVERAGE:
SA: The city’s budget team reported Kishida to the attorney general’s office after noticing the funding discrepancy.
HNN: Former Honolulu city employee charged in alleged $800k Hawaii Foodbank fraud | Hawaii News Now
KHON: Ex-city worker charged in $800K Hawaii Foodbank scheme
KITV: Ex-Honolulu employee charged in $800K Hawaii Foodbank fraud scheme | Crime & Courts | kitv.com
KITV: Former city employee accused of Hawaii Foodbank fraud, shocking community partners | News | kitv.com
CB: Part Of A Frantic Charge To Feed People During Covid, He's Now Charged With Fraud - Honolulu Civil Beat