Thomas V. Camacho Tanaka (born August 7, 1940) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

, previous Speaker of the territorial Senate from 1979 to 1983, and previous candidate for the position of

Governor of Guam The governor of Guam ( ch, I Maga'låhen / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territor ...

Biography

He was born on August 7, 1940, to Tomas Santos Tanaka and Maria Josefina Garcia Camacho, and also the nephew of a former

Carlos Camacho Carlos Garcia Camacho (November 16, 1924 – December 6, 1979) was an American (U.S. citizen) politician and dentist. Camacho was a former Republican Senator in the Guam Legislature. Camacho served as the last appointed Governor of Guam from 196 ...

. Tanaka served as a Senator in the Guam Senate. In June 1994, Tanaka ran for Governor of Guam along with his running mate is senator Doris Flores-Brooks, after two-term governor Joseph Ada is term-limited. Tanaka-Brooks won the primary election against outgoing

Lieutenant Governor of Guam The Guamanian self-governing government consists of a locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and a fifteen-member Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country ...

Frank Blas Frank Flores Blas Sr. (March 20, 1941 – August 1, 2016) was a Guamanian politician, businessman and member of the Republican Party of Guam. Blas served as the 5th Lieutenant Governor of Guam from January 5, 1987 until January 2, 1995 for two co ...

and senator Simon Sanchez II and winner will face Senator Carl T.C. Gutierrez and Senator

Madeleine Bordallo Madeleine Mary Zeien Bordallo (; born May 31, 1933) is an American-Guamanian politician who served as the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2019. She is the first woman ever to serve as Guam' ...

, however during the election day, Tanaka lost the election for both Gutierrez and Bordallo. The election was contested, but the case was decided in favor of Gutierrez.

Scandals

Gutierrez election

In 2003, Tanaka pleaded guilty to

misprision of a felony Misprision of felony is a form of misprision, and an offence under the common law of England that is no longer active in many common law countries. Where it was or is active, it is classified as a misdemeanor. It consists of failing to report ...

as part of a political corruption probe by the Guam U.S. Attorney's Office in which Tanaka was accused of endorsing previously-rival Democratic candidate Gutierrez in 1997 in exchange for his construction firm receiving a large government contract to build school bus shelters a few months later. Judge

William Alsup William Haskell Alsup (born June 27, 1945) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Early life and career Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Alsup received a Bachelor of ...

sentenced Tanaka to two years of supervised release, including six months of house arrest. In the trial,

Air America Radio Air America (formerly Air America Radio and Air America Media) was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk radio. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010. The network was founded as a left wing alternative to counter ...

financier

Evan Montvel Cohen Evan Montvel Cohen (born 1966) is an American businessman living on the island of Guam. He was a founder and the first chairman of the liberal Air America Radio. Cohen has worked primarily in the broadcasting industry and in politics. Early life ...

testified against Tanaka. Tanaka agreed to a plea agreement with the United States Attorneys Office in Guam; there was no trial for him.

Rapadas appointment

Tanaka was later implicated in allegations that he tried to influence the investigation that had been pursued against him by the U.S. Attorney's Office. In June, 2006, the USDOJ's Office of the Inspector General released their final report on their investigation into allegations made by previous interim U.S. Attorney for Guam Frederick Black that Tanaka's nephew

Leonardo Rapadas Leonardo Matias Rapadas, better known as Lenny Rapadas, is a Guamanian lawyer, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands from 2003 to 2010 and as the attorney general of Guam from 2011 to 2015. ...

replaced Black in his position as U.S. Attorney after Black called for an investigation into Washington-based lobbyist

Jack Abramoff Jack Allan Abramoff (; born February 28, 1959) is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted felon. He was at the center of an extensive corruption investigation led by Earl Devaney that resulted in his conviction ...

. Rapadas assumed the position after receiving President Bush's 2002 appointment. According to the investigation, "Black stated that he thought Tanaka had used his political influence to get Rapadas the nomination so that Tanaka's criminal matter would disappear." Rapadas was later recused from participation of any ongoing investigations of Tanaka. Black also claimed that Rapadas' nomination was intended to end his ongoing investigations into corruption by public officials in Guam. The OIG determined that Black's allegations were unsupported and that Rapadas' background investigation was sufficient and his appointment appropriate.

Sources

USDOJ Report of Investigation into Allegations Relating to the Selection of the U.S. Attorney for Guam and the Northern Mariana IslandsFORMER GUAM OFFICIAL GETS 18-MONTH SENTENCEGovernment Briefs, Pacific Magazine
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Tommy 1940 births Chamorro people Guamanian people of Portuguese descent Guamanian politicians of Japanese descent Guamanian Republicans Living people Members of the Legislature of Guam Speakers of the Legislature of Guam