A 41-year-old Kauai man who agreed to run drugs and collect money for a drug trafficking organization headed by a former Kauai County Council member and supplied by Samoan gang members, was sentenced Tuesday to three years in federal prison.
Kelvin Kauwila Kai, aka “Kauwila,” had been facing a minimum of 10 years in prison and up to life after agreeing to plead guilty in May 2021 to a single count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. In addition to 36 months in prison, U.S. District Court Judge Derrick K. Watson sentenced Kai to three years of federal probation and levied a $100 special assessment.
In an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Kai’s attorney, Richard D. Gronna said, “Judge Watson was very fair and very reasonable, and we are very thankful for his understanding and the sentence he meted out today.” He added that Kai is “really hardworking, and he has a great attitude.” In a memo, Gronna noted that Kai has undergone rehabilitation services, and since his arrest in 2020 has demonstrated resolve to “staying on the straight and narrow” in his work ethic and “commitment to his family.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Micah Smith, Chris Thomas and Michael Nammar prosecuted the case for the U.S. Department of Justice. The U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment on the sentencing.
In spring 2019, when Kai met former Kauai Council member Arthur Brun, aka “Ata,” Kai had served time in federal prison for a drug charge and reportedly kicked a methamphetamine habit. One day while drinking and hanging out with Brun, who was leading an organization that marketed methamphetamine on Kauai while also serving on the Council, Kai accepted Brun’s invitation to smoke meth, according to court records.
Brun, who, in May was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on charges related to his role as head of a drug trafficking ring, offered Kai as much methamphetamine as he wanted if Kai would help him run his drug ring that was supplied in part by the United Samoan Organization, aka the “USO gang,” according to court records. Kai agreed, allowing Brun to install a safe in his home to store drugs, use his truck to make deliveries and his house as a site to break down large quantities of meth for sale in smaller quantities.
In a sentencing memo to the court and federal government, Gronna stated that Kai’s upbringing had been in a home rife with substance abuse and broken by divorce and domestic violence.
Kai’s father died in a car accident when he was 2 years old, and his mother married a man who allegedly beat Kai and was arrested for multiple offenses during Kai’s youth, including burglary, sex assault and domestic violence. Kai’s mother went to prison for a meth- related offense. “This revolving door of abuse led Kai to seek affirmation and self- esteem to the group that used drugs and otherwise used school as a gathering place to use drugs and skip class,” Gronna stated in the memo.
In 2005 Kai was prosecuted by the federal government for trying to get meth through the mail. He pleaded guilty and served a 36-month prison term followed by three years of federal probation.
In January 2020, Kai met with a Kauai police officer and provided a candid description of Brun’s drug trafficking organization and “what Brun was doing with his meth trafficking business,” the memo stated.
Brun was indicted in 2020 with 11 others, including Kai. All pleaded guilty to various charges.
Judge Watson sentenced Brun to 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole for nine charges including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, assaulting a federal law enforcement officer, evidence tampering and witness tampering. The judge also sentenced him to five years for conspiracy to defraud the United States, and to five years’ supervised release for six charges and three years’ supervised release for four counts. The sentences will all run together.
