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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Judge wants racketeer set free

By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kai Ming Wang

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A Chinese immigrant who found himself at the center of a violent struggle over illegal Honolulu gambling casinos has been ordered released from prison, pending approval from immigration officials.

Kai Ming Wang, 42, pleaded guilty Monday night to a federal racketeering conspiracy charge and faces two to three years of prison time for the offense when he is sentenced in May.

Because Wang already has been held for 21 months pending resolution of the case, his lawyer asked U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway to release Wang on bail between now and the sentencing hearing.

Mollway said that if Wang is kept in custody until his May 27 sentencing, he may have served more time behind bars than his ultimate sentence.

"I never want to hold someone longer than their sentence would be," Mollway said in a morning court hearing.

Wang's legal problems are not over. Mollway noted that immigration officials still may try to deport him and said he could not be released from custody without their prior approval.

William Harrison, Wang's lawyer, said Wang came to Hawai'i from mainland China in 1994 and is the father of a child born in this country. Wang has cooperated extensively with law enforcement agencies investigating illegal gambling operations here, the lawyer said.

Three other men convicted with Wang in the racketeering case face between 20 and 27 1/2 years behind bars for their roles in the case.

Rodney Joseph Jr. and Kevin Gonsalves admitted shooting Romilius Corpuz to death because of a dispute over who would provide protection services to Wang's illegal casino.

Ethan "Malu" Motta admitted killing Lepo Utu Taliese and critically wounding another man, Tinoimalu Sao, by shooting him in the head.

The shootings took place in the parking lot of the Pali municipal golf course in the middle of the day Jan. 7, 2004.

Joseph, Gonsalves and Motta will be sentenced in late May and June by Mollway.

Mollway ruled that if immigration officers allow Wang's release, he must stay in "home detention" at his girlfriend's house until bed space opens for him at a government-approved halfway house.

He may be subjected to electronic monitoring of his movements and must obey a series of restrictions on his activities, including avoiding all contact with gamblers and gambling operations, Mollway said.

Wang told investigators that his involvement in underworld casinos began first as an occasional gambler, then as a habitual gambler, then as a dealer at one of the underground game rooms in the Chinatown area of Honolulu.

Eventually Wang and several friends invested between $7,000 and $8,000 each to open their own game room. He hired his own security personnel after rival groups threatened and assaulted him and his employees and customers, he said.

While some of the guards Wang hired were huge men built like football linemen, Wang himself is not physically imposing.

The admitted racketeer stands approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall and is very slight in stature.

He speaks very little English and communicates in Mandarin Chinese.

"I know now that it was illegal to do a business like this," Wang told Mollway in court, speaking through an interpreter.

Reach Jim Dooley at jdooley@honoluluadvertiser.com.