Terri Ann Otani, who was acquitted in a federal criminal conspiracy trial last year, faces prison time and hefty fines if convicted of the new charges.

A secretary for a prominent Hawaiʻi engineering firm has been criminally charged with making illegal political contributions — a rare campaign finance indictment in a state with a history of “pay to play.”

The Hawaiʻi Attorney General’s office indicted Terri Ann Otani, 70, with four counts of making false name contributions. In July 2020, Otani allegedly donated a total of $2,000 to Honolulu mayoral candidate Colleen Hanabusa in the names of her sister and niece even though those family members were not the actual source of the money.

“Campaign contribution laws are important safeguards that ensure the integrity of our electoral process,

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