Myron B. Thompson principal, sister plea bargain; escape jail time
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Myron Thompson Academy principal Diana Oshiro, left, and elementary school vice principal Kurumi Kaapana-Aki
The principal of Myron B. Thompson Academy and her sister pleaded no contest and were sentenced, but won’t have to spend time in jail in connection with theft and records tampering charges.
Diana Oshiro, principal of the public charter school, pleaded no contest to one count of tampering with a government record; and her sister, vice principal Kurumi Kaapani-Aki, pleaded no contest to one count of theft in the second degree and one count of tampering with a government record. They appeared in court today before Circuit Judge Richard K. Perkins.
Because neither Oshiro nor Kaapani-Aki has a prior criminal record, prosecutors did not oppose their request for deferral of their sentences, which suspends jail time but imposes supervision. They will have the opportunity to have their guilty pleas and sentences cleared from their records.
Under a plea bargain, Oshiro was sentenced to one year deferral supervision. She must also complete 40 hours of community service, write a letter of apology to the governing board of the school, and pay court fees.
Kaapani-Aki was sentenced to four years deferral supervision for the felony theft charge and one year deferral supervision for tampering with a government record. She must also complete 75 hours of community service, write a letter of apology to the governing board, and pay court fees.
“As educators and leaders, the defendants were placed in leadership positions of trust. Their actions violated that trust and it is fitting that they are being held responsible,” said Attorney General Doug Chin in a press release.
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Kaapana-Aki was charged with conducting a fraudulent scheme from May 22, 2007, to March 28, 2013, during which she took 119 hours of unauthorized paid leave that resulted in a $6,238.73 loss of public funds. The misdemeanor charge against both defendants for tampering with a government record stemmed from the sisters’ subsequent efforts to prepare official school leave forms to cover the 119 hours of unauthorized leave and backdate the forms to make it appear as though they had been prepared contemporaneously with the leave taken.
