A federal judge in Honolulu, Hawaii, has sentenced Edward Caspino to 168 months or 14 years in federal prison, plus five years of supervised release after.
According to court documents, Caspino ran a large-scale illegal cockfighting operation in West Oahu between February 2021 to March 2023, with the U.S. Attorney’s office stating that hundreds of participants bet on the fights. Caspino is also convicted of distributing a total of three pounds of methamphetamine on three different occasions in July 2021.
Aside from a prison sentence, the federal judge also sentenced Caspino to forfeit USD 600,000 in cash seized by the case investigators, as well as the 10-acre property where the cockfights were held.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson stated, “Today’s lengthy 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. 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.”
Aside from Caspino, six other illegal gambling business conspirators are awaiting their sentences. In early March, a jury convicted Howard Unebasami of conspiracy and operating an illegal gambling business. William Caspino, Lavern Joseph, Kerilyn Caspino, and Fausto Aragon, Jr. have also pleaded guilty to illegal gambling conspiracy charges.
