Man allegedly harasses witness
An alleged security man for a gambling operation was charged yesterday with threatening a witness in a federal racketeering case against two of the suspects in the 2004 Pali Golf Course shootings.
Dennis Tadio was charged in federal court with threatening physical force Sunday against a federal witness, identified only as F.L., a bouncer at Venus Nite Club.
The complaint said the alleged threat was done "with the intent to influence, delay or prevent" F.L.'s testimony in the gambling and racketeering case against Rodney Joseph Jr., Kevin A. Gonsalves and two others.
In a Feb. 15, 2006, federal indictment, Joseph, Gonsalves, Kai Ming Wang and Siaosi Alapati were charged with operating an illegal gambling business, operating a racketeer-influenced and corrupt organization, and numerous counts of violent crime in aid of racketeering, including operating an illegal gambling business, extortion and robbery.
Joseph and Gonsalves were indicted in 2004 in state court on first-degree murder and other charges in the January 2004 golf course shootings, in which two men were fatally shot and another seriously wounded. Trial is set for Aug. 27.
The federal complaint alleges Tadio was hired in fall 2003 as security in Joseph's illegal gambling business, and that Tadio is also a close associate of Ethan Malu Motta, another suspect in the murder case.
Tadio allegedly worked for 10 weeks at illegal gambling rooms at Atkinson Drive in Honolulu and at Moanalua Road in Pearl City, according to an FBI agent's affidavit attached to the complaint.
Police have said the 2004 shootings stemmed from a dispute between factions competing to provide security at gambling houses.
According the affidavit, Tadio drove by Venus Nite Club at 2 a.m. Sunday and allegedly yelled an obscenity in Samoan at F.L. and called him a "f---- rat." Tadio also allegedly said to him, "You better watch your back. I'm gonna kill you!"
Tadio also allegedly phoned the witness several times within the following hour, harassing and threatening him, the affidavit said.