The Mailbox Conspiracy Revised Edition

The Inside Story of the Greatest Corruption Case in Hawai‘i History

When Honolulu police chief Louis Kealoha and his wife, Katherine, the city’s deputy prosecutor, reported their mailbox stolen to frame a family member, it was only the beginning of an elaborate conspiracy—and a corruption case that soon became the most notorious in Hawai‘i history. Riveting and meticulously told by the federal defender who learned the story from the inside, The Mailbox Conspiracy is a fascinating study in the corruption of power and the abuse of public office.

This revised edition released in 2024 includes new text, additional photos and court documents, and an all-new epilogue to update readers on important developments related to the case. 

Named Federal Defender of the Year in 2000 by the National Association of Federal Defenders, Alexander Silvert wrote The Mailbox Conspiracy based on his personal involvement in the Louis and Katherine Kealoha case from 2013 to 2020.

“One of the greatest books ever written on Hawaiian history.”

—Randy Roth, author, Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement & Political Manipulation at America's Largest Charitable Trust 

“The Louis and Katherine Kealoha corruption saga is the most infamous in Island history, as Chief Kealoha and the Honolulu Police Department worked in concert to dupe the US Attorney’s office into prosecuting an innocent man. A scary, engrossing story. Alexander Silvert is as skilled an author as he is a lawyer.”

—Ben Cayetano, Governor of Hawai‘i, 1994–2002

“The Mailbox Conspiracy is a crisply narrated study in abuse of power at the highest levels of Hawai‘i law enforcement. Silvert doesn’t hold back in vividly describing this sordid conspiracy by corrupt and recalcitrant authority figures. His description of today’s police departments, prosecutor’s offices and courts, warts and all, is an easy-to-follow must-read for law students and those who love page-turning courtroom drama.”

—Doug Chin, Attorney General of Hawai‘i, 2015–2018

Softcover, 258 pp.
Author: Alexander Silvert
Release Date: February 2024

Available in e-book format!