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Kaniela Ing pleads no contest to campaign spending criminal charge

Mark Kaniela Ing, a former state representative from South Maui, pleaded no contest Monday to a criminal charge of failure to timely file a supplemental report with the Campaign Spending Commission.

Ing, 34, was charged Feb. 15 after the commission referred the case to the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office.

During his 2018 run for Congress, Ing had racked up $22,000 in penalties, fines and restitution for 23 inaccurate reports filed from 2011 to 2016.

Ing was fined more than $15,000 in June 2018 for filing 23 false reports detailing his campaign contributions and expenditures to cover personal expenses and other campaign spending laws.

They include paying for his domestic partner’s credit card, depositing a $2,000 campaign check into his personal checking account and paying $2,125 in rent for homes on Oahu and Maui.

“It’s been seven years since I ran for state office, so I haven’t spent or raised any money since 2016,” he said in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Tuesday. “I have attempted to close my account but had to resolve this first. I admitted to missing a reporting deadline, which is required despite no campaign activity. I believe the prosecution handled this professionally, and I’m glad that it’s finally behind me.”

Ing has been quite visible in recent weeks on national news, speaking about the Maui wildfires as a “seventh-­generation Indigenous Hawaiian from Maui,” and he told CNN that Native Hawaiians are concerned developers could drown out local voices as Maui begins rebuilding. In other news appearances, he speaks as national director of the Green New Deal Network about the wildfires and says, “We’re living the climate emergency.”

Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said, “We reviewed the facts and charged him with a misdemeanor campaign spending violation. Today, Mr. Ing decided not to contest the charge.”

Ing was given a one-year deferral of his no-contest plea. During that time Ing must not commit another crime, cannot leave Oahu without the court’s permission and must make a $100 contribution to the state general fund.

A proof of compliance hearing is scheduled for Aug. 13.


This story has been updated to include a statement from Kaniela Ing.


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