A sentencing hearing scheduled for Tuesday for former City Councilman Rod Tam for his city theft and campaign spending violations has been postponed to Nov. 2.
Part-time District Judge Randal Shintani granted the postponement requested by Deputy Attorney General Debbie Tanakaya, who said more time was needed to evaluate the amount Tam might have to pay in restitution in his city theft case.
Tam’s attorney, Nelson Goo, agreed to the postponement.
Tam was at the brief court hearing but did not speak.
The delay is the latest for sentencing in the city theft case, originally scheduled for January. But Tam was also charged with the campaign spending violations and pleaded no contest in June, which set up Tuesday’s hearing.
He faces sentencing on 13 petty misdemeanor and 21 misdemeanor charges.
In the theft case, Tam pleaded guilty in November to overcharging for meals at Honolulu restaurants from 2007 to 2009. The overcharges ranged from $8 to $267.
In the unrelated campaign spending case, Tam pleaded no contest in June to charges of violating campaign spending laws in 2008 and 2009.
His charges include using campaign funds for personal use, falsely reporting the use of campaign funds and failing to report campaign donations.
Tam is asking Shintani to defer accepting the pleas, which would clear the way for the dismissal of the cases if he abides by conditions similar to probation.
State lawyers have said they would oppose the request and ask that he serve time in jail, but would not say for how long.
Petty misdemeanors are each punishable by up to 30 days in jail; misdemeanors, by up to a year in jail.
Tam has served 32 years in elective office on a neighborhood board, the state Legislature and the City Council.
He’s been out of a job since his second four-year term on the Council ended at the start of this year.
