Two men from the Hawaiian island of Maui were sentenced in federal court for their racially motivated attack on C.K., a white man who was attempting to move into their neighborhood of Kahakuloa.
Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi, 33, was sentenced to 78 months in prison. Levi Aki Jr., 33, was sentenced to 50 months in prison.
“The defendants in this case nearly killed a man because they believed he did not belong in their neighborhood because of the color of his skin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The law protects everyone in this country from racially motivated violence, and these sentences send a strong message that such violence will not be tolerated.”
“No one should suffer the violence, cover up and injustice the defendants wrought in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors for the District of Hawaii. “All persons have a right to freedom from violence motivated by racial hatred, and the Department is committed to ensuring that right is protected in a court of law.”
“This horrific violence was motived by nothing other than hate,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill of the FBI Honolulu Field Office. “The FBI is committed to ensuring those who perpetrate such injustices are held accountable and that civil rights are respected and protected for all.”
At trial, the evidence showed that the victim, C.K., purchased a house in Kahakuloa and decided to move there with his wife and three daughters after his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and forced to retire. When C.K. arrived in Kahakuloa, he was harassed and threatened by various Kahakuloa residents who told him things like, “This is a Hawaiian village. The only thing coming from the outside is the electricity,” and “You don’t even belong in Hawaii.”