Former USDA Official Pleads Guilty to Receiving an Illegal Gratuity

HONOLULU – In a shocking turn of events, Jason Shitanishi, 60, of Honolulu, Hawaii, has pleaded guilty to receiving an illegal gratuity as a public official. The sentencing is set for July 17, 2026, before Senior U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor.

According to information presented to the court, Shitanishi was employed by the FSA as a County Executive Director for the City and County of Honolulu in 2020 and 2021. During this time, a woman submitted a CFAP application that falsely claimed she operated a farm with $685,500 in commodity sales in 2019. The woman asked Shitanishi if he would accept her application, rather than require her to submit it to the Maui County Executive Director, who was familiar with the farms there.

Shitanishi obtained the necessary approvals from the FSA to consider the woman’s CFAP application and then approved it. As a result of the false representation on the woman’s CFAP application, the FSA issued the woman a payment of $65,745, to which she was not entitled. The woman then gave Shitanishi a check for $5,000, which he understood was for accepting responsibility for the woman’s CFAP application for her Maui farm.

“Our public officials are entrusted to execute their duties honestly and with integrity. In breaching that trust, Shitanishi not only violated the law, but he betrayed the community he was charged with serving,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who breach the public trust.”

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Paris Yates is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Shitanishi faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of not more than one year.

Shitanishi’s actions have left many in the community wondering how someone in a position of power could betray the public’s trust. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of holding public officials accountable for their actions.

The case is a stark reminder of the need for transparency and accountability in government. The public has a right to expect honesty and integrity from their elected officials, and it is the duty of law enforcement to hold them accountable when those expectations are not met.

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