An alleged co-conspirator of reputed Hawaii crime boss Michael Miske was charged with witness tampering Monday after he allegedly threatened a woman not to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice’s ongoing investigation.

Supervised release for Preston M. Kimoto, 44, was revoked Wednesday, and he will be held at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu until his preliminary hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth J. Mansfield. The hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. April 19.

On Dec. 16 Kimoto allegedly “did knowingly use intimidation, threaten, and corruptly persuade” a woman he has known since 2007, referred to in federal court documents as “Victim-A,” to stop her from talking to agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to an affidavit by an FBI agent.

Kimoto was charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping in a June 18, 2020, superseding indictment. He is accused of participating in the “Miske Enterprise,” an alleged racketeering organization that sold methamphetamine, cocaine, oxycodone and cannabis, and used murder, kidnapping and arson to control its market share.

Miske, Kimoto and five others are scheduled to stand trial April 17 Opens in a new tab but Miske’s attorneys have asked a federal judge to continue the trial until at least January 2024.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Inciong, who is prosecuting the case for the government, declined comment. Kimoto’s attorney, Cynthia A. Kagiwada, did not immediately respond to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser request for comment.

Kimoto is accused of conspiracy for allegedly helping set up the 2017 kidnapping of an accountant. He allegedly showed Victim-A court documents detailing his role in the kidnapping that names the woman and her relative.

On July 21, 2020, Kimoto was released on $50,000 bond secured by a $5,000 cash deposit and was placed in a “third-party custodianship and home detention with location monitoring” and was prohibited from breaking any laws while on supervised release.

On Nov. 15, 2021, Kimoto’s attorneys were successful in their efforts to end the home detention requirement and have it replaced with a curfew restriction, the FBI agent’s affidavit said. On March 20 the investigative team working the Miske Enterprise case interviewed the woman.

She allegedly told federal agents that Kimoto asked to meet on Dec. 15 and she suggested a spot for lunch on Dec. 16.

“Hope everything is well with you. Are you free to meet maybe Friday or Saturday for coffee or wherever is convenient for you. I know you’re busy, it’ll be short, I just wanted to talk about a few things. Let me know what day and time works for you, thanks,” Kimoto allegedly texted the woman.

The FBI agent wrote in the affidavit that “I just wanted to talk about a few things” was Kimoto’s way of referring to “talking with Victim-A about Kimoto’s role in the Subject Offenses and instructing Victim-A not to cooperate with the FBI.”

FBI agents later confirmed the meeting using metadata collected from mobile phones and Kimoto’s credit card receipt indicating he paid for lunch at 12:37 p.m.

The woman was previously interviewed by the FBI on Feb. 23 and did not accuse Kimoto of threatening her and did not provide them with any information corroborating the charges against Kimoto. She feared for her life based in part on Kimoto’s “history of violence,” the affidavit said.

Until the FBI contacted her, “the whole situation seemed surreal” and she hoped “it would all just go away,” according to the agent’s affidavit.

At lunch on Dec. 16, Kimoto allegedly told the woman that the FBI would be talking to her. She and her family were the only people who could connect Kimoto to the kidnapping conspiracy and “it would be better for Victim-A” and her family if she told the FBI nothing, Kimoto allegedly said.

“Kimoto stated that he would know if Victim-A cooperated with the FBI and reminded Victim-A that he knew where Victim-A lived, worked and where Victim-A’s children went to school,” according to the FBI agent’s affidavit.

On Dec. 28 Kimoto allegedly texted the woman “Hey, do you have time for a short 5-10 minute meeting tonight after 6:30? I have a (gift emoji) for you guys.”

The FBI agent wrote that the gift emoji was referring to the court document detailing one of Kimoto’s “Subject Offenses in which Victim-A” and her relative were mentioned.

At that meeting, in a park, Kimoto told the woman that she did “not have to worry about anyone coming” to visit her or her children at school if she did not talk to the FBI. Kimoto allegedly tried to show her a photo of a court document on his phone but she refused.

Kimoto allegedly took the woman’s phone and photographed the document. When FBI agents searched her phone, they found a photo of the document, Kimoto’s phone number and an email address connected to his employment at Oahu Termite & Pest Control Inc., one of Miske’s legitimate businesses.

A review of all the texts shared between the woman and Kimoto in December show the woman texting in a “very friendly and casual manner” with Kimoto, according to court records.

On Dec. 29, the woman texted Kimoto, “Thank you! Happy belated bday!! Here’s to an awesome 2023 (heart emoji) everything will work out!! (three prayer emojis).”

When asked about the tone of the text messages in the context of the threats that the woman alleged Kimoto made, she said she wanted “to remain on good terms with Kimoto and did not want to give Kimoto any reason to believe that Victim-A would not heed Kimoto’s warnings to not tell the FBI what Victim-A knew. Victim-A added that the full weight of the gravity of the matter” hit her when she heard from the FBI.