HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - After nearly two days of deliberation, a federal jury returned a not guilty verdict Friday in the sprawling bribery case against Keith Kaneshiro, Honolulu’s longest-serving prosecutor.

The decision comes nearly two years after Kaneshiro and five others were indicted on conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, bribery and conspiracy against rights. Verdicts were also handed down for the others in the case — all campaign donors affiliated with a high-profile Honolulu engineering firm.

Firm owner Dennis Mitsunaga, who was jailed during trial following new allegations of witness tampering, was also found not guilty and ordered released from custody.

“I’m glad to be out of that cold cell,” the 82-year old Mitsunaga said after showing reporters he was wearing a sweater and two jackets to keep warm.

The jury also delivered not guilty verdicts for the others in the case: Executive Aaron Fujii, executive Chad McDonald, firm Executive Director Terri Ann Otani, and firm attorney Sheri Tanaka.

After the verdict was read, Kaneshiro spoke to reporters, reacting to the decision and expressing his frustration over how the media handled the case.

“I feel vindicated,” he said. “But how am I going to get back my reputation? Because all the information that’s been going out how been negative about me.”

Birney Bervar, Kaneshiro’s attorney said his client “has been under a cloud of a federal investigation for 8 years,” referring to the start of the FBI’s probe in the Honolulu prosecutor’s office.

Attorney Sheri Tanaka also spoke to reporters, getting emotional about how everything played out.

Mitsunaga and his employees, federal prosecutors argued, funneled nearly $50,000 to Kaneshiro’s coffers in exchange for his office going after an enemy of the firm — Laurel Mau, a fired employee who had sued for discrimination.

Mau was an architect at the firm and she’d been accused of stealing by taking side jobs. During trial, Mau said she was directed to take on some of those jobs by firm employees. Meanwhile, some of the jobs were offered pro bono.