In Hawaii, most people know Ty Cullen as the former state legislator who was convicted of taking bribes, along with another former state legislator Kalani English.
(learn more at https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/04/07/hawaii-news/former-hawaii-legislator-ty-cullen-receives-2-years-in-federal-prison/)
I knew Ty Cullen as a former classmate at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. This was back in the early 2000's. We were in the same class for Sociology of Pop Culture. This was one of those cruise classes that many students took to ease the burden of taking the more difficult classes in the same semester. The class was taught by Dr. David Swift, an elderly man whom many were surprised would be teaching that class. And he kept showing videos from the 80s, as if he couldn't find more recent videos to show us.
Sometimes, before and after class, or even in the days we're not taking that class, me and Ty Cullen would talk stories. We would talk about our background (though he didn't mention his father died while incarcerated, a fact that was publicly revealed recently) and compared stories of people we knew.
He was also someone who liked to joke with people.
For example, in that pop culture class, when the subject was Valentine's Day, I said I'm not spending money on champagne, I'll just buy a bottle of water. The next day, Ty saw me with a bottle of water and joked about my comment the day before.
He also laughed when he saw me the same day the Ka Leo (UHM's student newspaper) published an angry letter responding to my opinion article that was published a few days earlier.
That was the Ty Cullen I knew, the chill guy who was lots of fun to be around!
A few years later, I saw him at Stevenson Middle School. I was a substitute teacher. He was working with an outside contractor Hale Kipa as a youth counselor working with at-risk students. First time I saw him on that campus, he introduced me to his students saying "this is Pablo, this guy has a different mindset" in a joking manner! The next time I saw him, I was having a rough day when I over-reacted to a student who was talking while the class was supposed watching an educational video. Talking with Ty Cullen after-school kinda eased the tension I was feeling that day.
After that year, I was on that campus less often, and I haven't seen Ty Cullen in person since.
I tried to find him on Facebook, but he wasn't there, otherwise, I would've added him to my friend's list.
A few years later, I noticed that Ty Cullen was running for the state legislature. I was surprised because back in the UHM days, he didn't present himself as a future politician. He wasn't an activist and he wasn't writing opinion articles like I did. But hey, I give him credit for taking the initiative to run for office and convincing the people of his district to vote for him.
When I found out about the federal investigation and arrest for the bribery case, I was heartbroken. One of the coolest people I ever met in my college years will now forever be known by the general public as a stereotypical corrupt politician in it for the bribes.
In the days leading to his sentencing, some community members pleaded for leniency in this case, noting Cullen's work in the community and his generous nature. When I read what his supporters said, I was like "that's the Ty Cullen I knew".
Ty Cullen was sentenced yesterday to 2 years in federal detention. He was given a relatively lenient sentence because he cooperated with the investigation and expressed remorse for his actions. He noted the issue embarrassed him and his family.
He requested to be in a facility that has job training programs that he is interested in, now that he most likely will never work a government job ever again. I hope it all works out for him, and I hope he can live an honorable life when he completes his sentence.
Probably the best thing he can do is be a motivational speaker encouraging the next generation of wannabe politicians to not make the same mistakes he made.
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Learn more about the case at
Peter Boylan, “Former Hawaii Sen. J. Kalani English, State Rep. Ty Cullen Took Thousands in Bribes, Federal Prosecutors Say,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, February 9, 2022 https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/02/08/breaking-news/former-hawaii-senate-majority-leader-kalani-english-took-thousands-in-bribes-federal-prosecutors-say/
Peter Boylan, “Ex-Hawaii Lawmaker in Bribery Case Seeks 15-Month Sentence,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 4, 2023, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/04/04/hawaii-news/ex-hawaii-lawmaker-in-bribery-case-seeks-15-month-sentence/
Peter Boylan , “Former Hawaii Legislator Ty Cullen Receives 2 Years in Federal Prison,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 7, 2023, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/04/07/hawaii-news/former-hawaii-legislator-ty-cullen-receives-2-years-in-federal-prison/
