HONOLULU (KHON2) — Kenneth M. Sorensen, acting United States attorney, announced on April 11 that 47-year-old Edward Caspino of Waianae was sentenced to 14 years of prison, followed by five years supervised release, for distribution of methamphetamine and operating an “illegal gambling business.”
Court records show that Caspino distributed a total of three pounds of methamphetamine three separate times back in July 2021. He also was shown to have owned and operated a large-scale chicken fighting ring at his Waianae property from February 2021 to March 2023.
Alongside his five co-defendants, he hosted regular chicken fighting events, which is classified as illegal gambling under Hawaiʻi law. Each chicken fight event was made up of several individual chicken fights, where hundreds of individuals participated, watched and bet on the fights.
Of the six total defendants, Caspino is the first to be sentenced. Co-defendants William Caspino, Lavern Joseph, Kerilyn Caspino and Fausto Aragon, Jr. all pled guilty to their charges, with another co-defendant, Howard Unebasami being found guilty following a March 2025 trial.
“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,” Sorensen said. “This prosecution has already secured convictions against five co-conspirators, and Caspino’s 168-monyh sentence stands as a stark warning: running an illegal gambling business in Hawaiʻi carries serious and lasting consequences under federal law.”