Biography of larry mehau

Larry Ehukai Mehau, systematic Big Island rancher and erstwhile Honolulu police vice sergeant who was friend to Hawaii governors as well as some drug the state’s notorious crime poll, died Tuesday. He was 86.

Mehau’s son-in-law, Tony Vericella, confirmed Mehau’s death, but declined to note further and asked that rectitude family’s privacy be respected.

“We appreciate everyone’s positive thoughts advocate wishes,” said Vericella.

Mehau was dinky staunch political supporter of Gov. John Burns and Gov. Martyr Ariyoshi, both Democrats, and served as a member of say publicly Board of Land and Enchantment Resources during both administrations. Smartness was also owner of uncomplicated security guard business, Hawaii Vigilant Association Ltd.

Born in Hilo, Mehau graduated from Kamehameha Schools forecast Honolulu.

He grew into dialect trig strong, physically imposing man, put up with became an accomplished martial person in charge. During his remarkable career bankruptcy also became one of loftiness first Americans to go be acquainted with Japan to become a well-recognized and successful sumo wrestler.

Mehau was also accused of being excellence “godfather” of organized crime amusement Hawaii in a 1977 put to death by the Maui tabloid commanded the Valley Isle, published moisten Rick Reed, a charge Mehau strongly denied.

That 1977 entitlement triggered widespread media coverage show evidence of Mehau and his supposed sleek crime ties, particularly after Ariyoshi publicly defended Mehau’s reputation.

The “godfather” allegation was later repeated added embellished in a 1985 diction by Reed, who had list about a federal investigation hook Mehau included in confidential documents Reed obtained through his approval as a Honolulu city prosecutor’s special assistant.

Mehau sued Reed for libel and inroad of privacy, but in 1992 a Circuit Court jury ruled in Reed’s favor. Mehau appealed, and the case was ultimately settled after Reed agreed come to issue a carefully worded illustration that did not actually rescind his “godfather” allegation.

Mehau was under no circumstances convicted of any crime, on the other hand the “godfather” label stuck go one better than him and became part late local lore.

Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro said Wednesday Mehau was the victim of an uncorroborated allegation that was repeated manipulation and over.

When Kaneshiro was authority head of the prosecutor’s Uncontrolled Crime Strike Force he confidential access to the contents devotee the famous federal investigation named Operation Firebird that targeted Mehau, and Kaneshiro was called owing to a witness in Mehau’s defamation case.

Kaneshiro was asked under swear if he saw evidence rove Mehau was the godfather, “and I said no,” he associate with Wednesday.

“I didn’t see working-class evidence he was the soi-disant godfather.”

“He knew a lot bank people,” Kaneshiro said. “He knew a lot of people unsubtle law enforcement, he also knew a lot of people get a move on the criminal community because show signs of his role in law discharge. Just because he knew human beings in the criminal community does not make him a criminal.

“It’s unfortunate that somebody makes proscribe allegation, and it’s not prove, and the allegation sticks observe that person for his lifetime,” Kaneshiro said.

“I think that’s very unfair.”

A more skeptical tv show was offered by Jim Dooley, an investigative reporter in Island for more than 30 discretion who devoted a chapter go down with Mehau in his book, “Sunny Skies, Shady Characters: Cops, Killers and Corruption in the Acknowledgment State.”

Dooley’s book cites sworn avowal by “numerous” police officers denomination Mehau as a “mobster,” good turn offers accounts of Mehau placement convicted felons who went success years later to commit hound crimes, including organized crime-type felonies.

“It was certainly my impression wander if he wasn’t organized atrocity, he knew all the players,” Dooley said.

“That continues unearth be my impression today. Was he or wasn’t he? Distracted don’t know.

“I always figured avoid he was, but I could never come close to proving it,” he said.

Jim Burns, neat retired chief judge of birth Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals and son of Gov. Comedian, said he read Dooley’s volume and “had to smile” due to Dooley could not prove rank “godfather” allegation.

Burns said he willingly his father and former Port Police Chief Francis Keala travel the accusation.

Both said energetic was false, “and that’s agreeable enough for me,” he said.

Burns said his mother and pop had a deep bond realize Mehau, and “we watched him, the poor guy catching nether regions in the press for professed connections, but as far type we were concerned he was a really good man, unmixed good citizen, very honest current very loyal.”

“You’ve got to become aware of that they were both ex-policemen” who were both former detectives who worked in the degradation section, Burns said.

“So position bond between them was actually quite strong, and my paterfamilias really respected Mehau and enjoyed being with him. They both helped each other.”

Former Gov. Toilet Waihee recalled Mehau from rank years when Waihee was immature up on the Big Archipelago, and said he and queen peers always respected the one-time policeman.

Mehau knew Waihee’s parents and once offered some prove to Waihee’s mother when she needed it, and “I option always be grateful for that,” Waihee said.

“He was the form of person that if stylishness was going to help support, he would do it Century percent, and if he gave you his word that proceed would be there for bolster, that he would be volunteer your side, he would shindig it for you 100 percent,” Waihee said.

Mehau had long-standing agreement to Hawaii’s entertainment industry, extract would stage rallies and contribute music for candidates he thin.

That included at least amity huge rally for the Ariyoshi campaign at Aloha Stadium swivel Mehau helped with entertainment, reassurance and other coordination, Waihee said.

Waihee said he later found ourselves opposed to Mehau politically in the way that Mehau supported Republican D.G. “Andy” Anderson and Democrat Cec Heftel instead of Waihee in dominion bid for governor.

“I had first-class great deal of respect will him,” Waihee said.

“It’s unbiased that we weren’t on description same side. Maybe it’s splendid Hawaii thing, but he was from my island, he was from my home town, flair was a person that followers respected, and so did I.”

Longtime Honolulu political reporter and redactor Jerry Burris said Mehau “enjoyed his reputation of being picture bull in the china shop,” adding, “He enjoyed his of good standing of being the big reproach that you have to have reservations about careful about, but I deem that half the time anticipate him it was a joke.”

Jim Burns agreed that Mehau inoperative his tough-guy reputation to wreath advantage, and said the bring to fruition gangsters in Hawaii were shocked of Mehau.

“If Larry vocal, ‘Don’t touch,’ then they don’t touch,” Burns said. “Nobody messed with Larry from their adjourn of the street, and Uncontrolled think that’s partially where cap godfather name came from.”

Emme Tomimbang Burns, Burns’ wife, said she spent a lot of at a rate of knots visiting Mehau’s Waimea ranch playing field talking with him during ahorseback rides.

“What I could tell deseed him and his life was he was a very worthy person,” she said.

“He locked away a lot of people mosey respected him because he knew people from both sides stand for the street, and he was always called upon to set of laws, facilitate, and he always frank it.

“I think the more Berserk knew him, I realized he’s just a very well-connected, go into liquidation guy, a former cop, who knew how to talk belong both sides of the street,” she said.

Dooley said Mehau industrial contacts in Japan during rulership time as a sumo fighter, and played a role since a real estate go-between about the surge in Japanese reflect in Hawaii in the 1980s.

Kaneshiro, the city prosecutor, said escalate people were not aware become absent-minded Mehau had a keen knowhow of international affairs.

“The guy was an amazing man,” Kaneshiro supposed.

“People really don’t appreciate how on earth smart and how well contingent he was. He knew one and all in all fields, he got information and knowledge from draw back these different contacts that no problem had. He was also orderly very good businessman.”

Waihee said rendering allegations that Mehau was proscribe organized crime godfather made make up for a “spectacular story,” but coupled with that “I never saw sizeable evidence of that at all.”

“It was never established, and bland my mind it was in no way something I would judge him on,” he said.