High-Ranking Maui Cop Accused Of Protecting Cockfights, Drug Dealers For Cash

A Maui police lieutenant is facing federal charges for allegedly accepting bribes and using his police powers to protect cockfight organizers and drug traffickers.

Lt. Michael Vaituulala, who has been with the department for nearly 20 years, accepted regular cash payments from cockfight organizers and, in exchange, ensured officers would not conduct enforcement on certain chicken fights, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He also accepted cash from drug trafficking suspects and gave them confidential information, such as evidence photos, identities of confidential sources and details about ongoing investigations, prosecutors say.

Vaituulala, who was placed on administrative leave from his post as commander of the MPD Criminal Intelligence Unit, appeared in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Thursday morning wearing a white jumpsuit. He kept his head down as he crossed the room. The gallery was full of reporters, prosecutors and attorneys and a few people who appeared to be family members or loved ones. 

Vaituulala is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. His attorney, Gary Singh, said he and Vaituulala had received the criminal complaint and Vaituulala understands the nature of the crime. 

Judge Rom Trader said Vaituulala could not enter a plea Thursday morning. He set a detention hearing for Tuesday to consider federal prosecutors’ motion to detain. 

In the motion, prosecutors say Vaituulala poses a serious risk for obstruction of justice. 

Immediately before his arrest, he destroyed evidence by deleting his Instagram account, according to court documents. He told FBI investigators he had a “feeling” about what was going to happen and that’s why he deleted his account. Instagram was a key method of communication between him and coconspirators, according to court records. 

“The defendant has demonstrated that – even as a law enforcement officer – his loyalties lie not with the Maui Police Department, the pursuit of justice, or the community he owed a duty to protect, but with the drug traffickers and other criminals he shielded from prosecution,” the motion to detain states. 

According to the justice department, Vaituulala would meet regularly with cockfight organizers to discuss logistics and conditions for holding the fights, and Vaituulala would sign off on the details. Vaituulala also gave drug trafficking suspects information about the existence of a sealed federal wiretap and the existence of a sealed arrest warrant, according to a press release from federal prosecutors. 

He aspired to become the “Larry Mehau of Maui,” according to one source who cooperated with the investigation and is quoted in the criminal complaint. Mehau was a former Big Island police officer who is often referred to as the “godfather” of organized crime in Hawaiʻi. Mehau, who died in 2015, was never charged with a crime. 

Vaituulala’s initial appearance lasted less than five minutes. When it was over, he was led back through a side door. He looked momentarily at family members sitting in the gallery, who were wiping back tears. 

“Stay strong,” one woman said. Vaituulala nodded his head. 

Outside the courtroom, family members who were there with a young child in a stroller declined to comment. Vaituulala’s attorney also declined to comment. 

Trader set a preliminary hearing for Aug. 27. Vaituulala is being held in the Honolulu Federal Detention Center. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In a statement, the Maui Police Department acknowledged allegations like these can erode public confidence and said the county agency is cooperating with federal law enforcement.

"Allegations of criminal conduct against a member of our department directly challenge the very standards that our dedicated men and women have sworn to uphold each day," the statement said. "If proven true, such actions represent a betrayal of the oath sworn by every member of this department and undermine the dedication, sacrifice, and commitment demonstrated each day by the men and women of the Maui Police Department who faithfully uphold that oath."

Used Position For ‘Personal Gain’

The 30-page criminal complaint outlines how Vaituulala used his position as a Maui police officer over the course of many years for “personal gain.”

In 2024 and 2025, the criminal complaint says, Vaituulala met regularly with cockfight organizers to work out details about where and when they could host fights. He allegedly approved the locations and set rules for the fights. For example, the complaint says, no one from outer islands was allowed to release their own chickens in the pit.

After the fights, the organizers would pay Vaituulala a percentage of their proceeds, the complaint says. On one occasion in February 2025, one of the organizers paid Vaituulala $3,000, but that was on the lower end of payments, according to the complaint.

The complaint describes ways in which Vaituulala allegedly tried to cover his tracks: He instructed the people he was communicating with not to call him on regular phone lines. He told them to use burner phones and communicate with him solely through encrypted apps like Instagram, Facebook and Signal. When they met in person, he’d often ask them to take their shirts off to ensure they weren’t wearing wires.

One cooperating witness told investigators that to pay Vaituulala, he would get into Vaituulala’s truck, open the glove compartment and place thousands of dollars of cash inside.

Another cockfight organizer would often pay Vaituulala’s tab at the bar, the complaint says.

In August 2025, Vaituulala flew to Las Vegas and gambled around $30,000 despite being delinquent on his home mortgage payments according to the complaint. One of the cooperating witnesses told investigators he gave Vaituulala a bag full of cash in Vegas, and though he couldn’t remember how much it was, he said it was the most he had ever given Vaituulala in a single payment.

Evidence of Vaituulala helping suspected criminals dates back to at least 2019 when he helped someone get out of a drunken driving arrest, according to the complaint. When the driver was pulled over by Maui police officers, he called Vaituulala who allegedly had officers release him from the scene without charges.

The driver, who became a cooperating defendant in the federal case, told investigators that when he started selling drugs, he would regularly give Vaituulala cash when he saw him at the bars. The payments would range from $1,000 to $3,000 or more, the complaint says. In return, prosecutors say Vaituulala would keep him updated on law enforcement activity related to the man’s drug trafficking.

Vaituulala was suspended from MPD in March in connection with a separate incident involving illegal fireworks — an event that is also mentioned in his criminal complaint.

Early on New Year’s Day, a firework blasted through the wall of a home on Puʻumakani Street in Kahului, causing $36,000 worth of damage, Hawaii News Now reported. The firework came from a party at a neighbor’s home hosted by Glenn Awong, the Hawaiian music star known as Maoli. Awong was issued a criminal citation, but the case was later dropped due to lack of evidence, according to HNN.

The homeowners, Elizabeth and Dennis Galloway, testified at a Maui Police Commission meeting in March that they saw videos showing Vaituulala and his family at the party.

“It is apparent Vaituulala did nothing to confiscate or stop the illegal fireworks from being lit by his family and friends,” Elizabeth Galloway told commissioners in April. “Had he done his duty, I would not be standing here testifying today.”

Dennis Galloway testified that he and his daughter have had to seek mental health counseling to cope with the trauma of the fireworks blast, which shook their home, filled it with smoke and sent shattered glass flying across the living room.

“I’m at a loss why a sworn MPD officer would not immediately stop the situation,” he said during the meeting.

The criminal complaint says multiple witnesses confirmed Vaituulala was present at the Maui home where illegal fireworks were being lit. Vaituulala also allowed the importation of fireworks and received illegal fireworks on more than one occasion, the complaint says. It does not specify the quantity of fireworks he allegedly imported or received.

‘Deeply Troubling’ Allegations

Maui community organizer Keisa Liu said when she was growing up on the island, rumors would circulate constantly about police officers taking bribes or being otherwise involved in criminal activity.

Liu now serves on the Multicultural Advisory Counsel, a group of Maui police personnel and community representatives formed to help improve relations between police and residents. She had hoped much of that behavior had been rooted out of the police department.

But, she said, it takes a long time to change the culture of an agency.

“I do hope that this is the end of that era,” she said.

Don Faumuina, president of the state police union, said in a statement officers who violate public trust damage the reputation of law enforcement as a whole.

“These allegations are egregious and deeply troubling, and in no way represent the dedication or character of the overwhelming majority of officers who serve the Maui Police Department with dignity and honor,” he said. “Just like every other citizen, each officer has a right to due process. If these allegations are true, however, the officer should be held accountable for his behavior to the fullest extent of the law.”

Spokespeople for Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen’s office directed a reporter to the Maui Police Department. Maui County police Chief John Pelletier did not respond to a request for comment through the department’s spokeswoman, Alana Pico. Tisha Flores, secretary for the Maui Police Commission, said commission members had no comment.

Marnie Masuda, lead organizer of Maui Indivisible, a grassroots advocacy organization focusing on civil liberties and human rights, said now more than ever it’s important to have a local police department that’s transparent and accountable to the public.

“We need a high-quality police department that is responding to the public and behaving impeccably,” she said, “with the public's best interest and safety at the forefront of everything they do.”