An inmate who was beaten at Halawa Correctional Facility testified in federal court Wednesday despite his fear of retaliation for fingering an alleged USO Family prison gang member.
Boy Blue Lealao, 52, said he is afraid to go back to the Federal Detention Center, where he was being held in protective custody.
"My time is up," Lealao said on the witness stand. "(Thursday) I’m going back to (the general) population" in the detention center.
Lealao said he was assaulted at Halawa in a surprise attack on Feb. 17, 2013.
His testimony came during the trial of former Halawa inmate Tineimalo Adkins and former guard Feso Malufau. Adkins is charged with leading the gang assault on Lealao and Malufau is charged with taking bribes to smuggle drugs into Halawa for the gang.
Adkins is being held at the Federal Detention Center, and Malufau is out on bond.
The two men were among 18 indicted last year on racketeering-related charges connected with the USO gang. The rest have pleaded guilty.
Lealao, who weighs almost 300 pounds and is more than 6 feet tall, said on the morning of his attack he and another inmate, who had a USO tattoo, got into an argument over a television.
The dispute was settled, and Lealao was watching TV when he was "whacked," he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Brady asked Lealao who struck him.
Lealao paused and took several deep breaths, then he shook his head and dropped his chin to his chest.
"Who were the guys that whacked you?" Brady asked again.
Lealao answered slowly and pointed at Adkins.
"I saw (Adkins) whack me," he said. "I got hit in my face."
Lealao said he blacked out from the beating and didn’t return any punches.
He suffered bleeding on the brain, a broken nose, and cuts to his left eye and lip. He was hospitalized for four days.
Former inmate Pau Talitiga said he was sitting next to Lealao when at least five USO members approached and began pummeling Lealao. He said Adkins threw the first punch.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Otake told U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi she expects to wrap up the case and turn it over to the defense by Friday.
