FDC Inmate Found Guilty Of Assault Resulting In Serious Bodily Injury

HONOLULU – A federal jury yesterday found Taloa Latu, 28, guilty of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The verdict came a few hours after a two and a half day trial. Latu faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years when he is sentenced on June 4, 2018, by Chief U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright.

Kenji M. Price, United States Attorney, said that according to information produced in court, surveillance camera footage showed Latu, a State of Hawaii inmate housed at the Federal Detention Center ("FDC"), Honolulu, repeatedly punching, kicking, and stomping the victim on September 11, 2016, at FDC. After the assault, the victim was transported to the Queens Medical Center, where he was treated for serious injuries, including a broken jaw and broken ribs. This case was prosecuted in federal court, as the United States has concurrent jurisdiction for crimes committed at FDC, Honolulu.

The investigation in this case was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Morgan Early and Michael Nammar handled the prosecution.