Ty J.K. Cullen is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the

Hawaii State House of Representatives The Hawaii House of Representatives is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of Hawaii, amended during the 1978 constitutional convention, the House of Representatives consis ...

who represented District 39 from January 16, 2013 until his resignation on February 8, 2022. Cullen served in the District 41 seat from 2011 to 2013.

Education

Cullen earned a BA in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and a

MPA MPA or mPa may refer to: Academia Academic degrees * Master of Performing Arts * Master of Professional Accountancy * Master of Public Administration * Master of Public Affairs Schools * Mesa Preparatory Academy * Morgan Park Academy * Mou ...

from the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

Elections

In 2008, Cullen initially challenged incumbent Democratic Representative Jon Karamatsu for the District 41 seat in the 2008 Democratic primary, but lost. When Karamatsu ran for

Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii The lieutenant governor of Hawaii ( haw, Hope kiaʻāina o Hawaiʻi) is the assistant chief executive of the U.S. state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Article V, Sections 2 though 6 of the Constitution of H ...

and left the District 41 seat open in 2010, Cullen won the four-way 2010 Democratic primary with 1,658 votes (43.1%), and won the 2010 general election with 4,510 votes (69.6%) against Republican nominee Carl Wong. Redistricting in 2012 meant that Cullen was redistricted to District 39, where Representative

Marcus Oshiro Marcus R. Oshiro (born April 24, 1959 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 16, 2013 representing District 46. Oshiro consecutively served from January 1995 un ...

was redistricted to District 46. Cullen and Carl Wong, his

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 ...

challenger from 2010, were both unopposed for their 2012 primaries for Oshiro's former seat. Cullen won the 2012 general election with 5,272 votes (70.3%) against Wong.

Resignation

On Tuesday, February 8, 2022, the United States Attorney's District of Hawaii office, on behalf of the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

, filed an

information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...

charging Cullen and former Hawaii State Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English with

honest services fraud Honest services fraud is a crime defined in (the federal mail and wire fraud statute), added by the United States Congress in 1988, which states "For the purposes of this chapter, the term ''scheme or artifice to defraud'' includes a scheme or ...

. Cullen allegedly received more than $23,000 worth of bribes to quash cesspool-related legislation. He resigned on the same day that charges were announced. Cullen pled guilty to the charge, and was sentenced to 2 years in prison and fined $25,000.

References

External links

Official page
at the Hawaii State Legislature {{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Ty Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Democratic Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni 21st-century American politicians Hawaii politicians convicted of crimes