Waianae gang leader apologizes before 14-year sentence

The 47-year-old leader of a Waianae gang Opens in a new tab that marketed methamphetamine, organized cockfights and kept a firing range on a 10-acre property will spend 14 years in federal prison.

Edward Caspino was sentenced Friday by Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright to 168 months followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine and operating an illegal gambling business.

Caspino also must give up money he made from selling pounds of methamphetamine and running illegal game rooms and chicken fights. He will forfeit at least $600,000 in cash seized by federal investigators, all part of a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice filed Dec. 12.

Caspino originally pleaded not guilty to the allegations in November 2023.

Caspino has to relinquish ownership of the property at 87-881 Iliili Road in Wai­anae that served as the headquarters for his operations.

Caspino led the “Westside” gang and hosted large-scale derbies from February 2021 through March 2023 that involved betting on the chickens, side crap games and other gambling.

Caspino managed Opens in a new tab the day-to-day operation of the chicken fight events by “setting fight schedules, soliciting fighters, constructing the chicken fighting pavilion and seating” and coordinating payments for the property.

The fights cleared about $2,000 a day while operating.

A typical fight at Caspino’s property involved three to five roosters per team with larger events involving more than 50 teams.

Individuals paid an entry fee of $500 to $2,000 per team of roosters. The team with the best record at the end of the derbies was awarded a cash prize.

Betting on the outcome of the chicken fights, which end when a chicken is killed or can’t continue fighting, was common, both between competing teams and among spectators, according to federal court records.

The amount of individual bets ranged from $10 among spectators to over $1,000. At some of the fights, other games of chance such as craps or “pepito” were in operation.

In a letter to Seabright on March 31, Caspino apologized for his crimes and took ownership of his behavior.

“I would like to apologize to the Waianae community for selling drugs and hosting chicken fights. As a longtime member of Waianae, my hometown where I was born and raised, I should have known better about selling drugs,” wrote Caspino. “Instead of making decisions that hurts my community, I should have been donating my time and effort to build up Waianae. … Drugs damage the entire community, families and so many people. In addition, I was also involved in illegal chicken fights. These events often bring violence, gambling and drugs. Plus these fights hurt and kill innocent animals. … I have learned from my actions and will work my hardest to improve as a man.”

Between 1997 and 2001, Caspino committed “eight separate felonies” at the state level including burglary, robbery and car theft, and received the “benefit of a concurrent 10-year sentence to cover all counts,” according to federal court records.

Caspino is the first of six people to be sentenced for aiding the illegal gambling business.

His brother William Caspino; mother, Lavern Joseph; Edward Caspino’s wife, Kerilyn Caspino; and Fausto Aragon Jr. each pleaded guilty to charges related to the illegal gambling conspiracy.

Co-defendant Howard Unebasami was convicted by a jury of conspiracy and operating an illegal gambling business after a four-day trial in March.

Caspino’s sentence demonstrates that federal authorities will “work together to put behind bars those responsible for illegal gambling operations and the community violence and drug trafficking tied to them,” said acting U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson in a statement.

“This prosecution has already secured convictions against five co- conspirators, and Caspino’s 168-month sentence stands as a stark warning: running an illegal gambling business in Hawaii carries serious and lasting consequences under federal law,” said Sorenson.

Anthony Chrysanthis, deputy special agent in charge for the DEA Los Angeles Field Division, said in a statement that the DEA is committed to stopping the “flow of drugs on the island.”

“The methamphetamine epidemic continues to threaten the health, safety and well-being of our communities. We are determined to intercept drug suppliers and to disrupt their criminal activities, at every point,” he said.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral- DeArmas and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Honolulu Division Special Agent in Charge David Porter lauded Seabright’s sentencing.

Porter said it sent a “strong message that we will use every available resource to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle these organizations.”

This case was investigated by the DEA, FBI, HSI, the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Honolulu Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese prosecuted the case.