3 plead not guilty to coercing crime victims

Two members of a notorious Samoan prison gang and the wife of a third entered not-guilty pleas Monday after they were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly trying to get carjacking and kidnapping victims to make false statements.

Kauai residents David Borges, 40, aka “Rush”; Albert Bactad, 47; Wayne Ino­uye, 47; Robin Takiguchi, 52, aka “Kaleo”; and Mahina Bactad, 27, were charged in a seven-count superseding indictment secured Thursday.

Their trial is set for Sept. 26, and detention hearings for Inouye, Takiguchi and Mahina Bactad are scheduled for Thursday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter.

From Dec. 26 to 27, Borges and Bactad allegedly conspired to “collect and attempt to collect an extension of credit” from someone identified as “Person 1” in federal court documents. They both were charged with extortion.

On Dec. 26, Borges and Bactad allegedly took a car from Person 1 by “force, violence, and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm,” resulting in carjacking charges for the pair.

They were also charged with carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence for using a gun during the carjacking.

On Dec. 27, Borges and Albert Bactad allegedly “unlawfully confined” someone identified as “Person 2.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig S. Nolan is prosecuting the case and declined comment. Mahina Bactad’s attorney, Neal J. Kugiya, and Takiguchi’s attorney, Crystal K. Glendon, also declined comment. Inouye’s attorney, Rustam Barbee, did not reply to a Honolulu Star-­Advertiser request seeking comment.

In a Sep. 8 motion to detain Inouye without bail until trial, Nolan identified Inouye, Albert Bactad, Borges and Takiguchi as “USO Gang members with criminal histories.”

“USO” stands for United Samoan Organization, but the notorious prison gang includes all ethnicities into its membership inside and outside of Hawaii’s prisons and jails.

In 2013 the U.S. Department of Justice declared the USO Gang, allegedly founded in 1998, the dominant prison gang in Hawaii and a major player in mainland prison gang activity.

Borges has 137 arrests in his record and 25 prior criminal convictions at the state level, including for robbery, fraudulent use of a credit card, car theft and felony assault and drug promotion.

Albert Bactad has 18 prior state convictions, including for witness tampering and 10 separate assault cases. Inouye has 15 prior state convictions, including for assaulting a police officer and robbery. Takiguchi has 17 prior state convictions, including for felony drug promotion and forgery.

Mahina Bactad, Albert’s wife, has no prior criminal history.

Inouye is charged with conspiring to obstruct justice and two counts of obstruction of justice.

Bactad, Inouye, Takiguchi and Mahina Bactad allegedly worked together to “intimidate and procure false written affidavits from the carjacking victim identified” as Person 1 and the kidnapping victim identified as Person 2.

Albert and Mahina Bactad allegedly directed the actions of Inouye and Takiguchi, who confronted the two victims in early August and “procured false written statements from the two victims,” wrote Nolan.

Both victims “believed that they would be assaulted if they refused to sign the statements.”

Mahina Bactad allegedly got the false written statements and “delivered them to Albert Bactad’s unwitting attorney for the purpose of committing a fraud” upon the court through use at trial of the statements, which have been designated by Albert Bactad’s counsel as defense trial exhibits, according to Nolan’s motion.