Maui police lieutenant arrested on federal public corruption charges
After publishing: 1 headline quietly rewritten1 change
- hawaiinewsnow.comseen 9 Aug, 00:30headline rewritten
Maui police lieutenant charged with taking bribes from criminals, protecting chicken fighting and drug operationsHigh-ranking Maui officer allegedly aspired to be island’s ‘godfather’ of crime
What it is about
Who published it, and when
How it spread - 4 original reports
Thu, 6 August 2026
3 reports- hawaiinewsnow.com01:30first to report
A high-ranking Maui Police Department officer has been arrested by federal agents on charges related to public corruption.
- hawaiinewsnow.com19:19edited after publishing
previously
Maui police lieutenant charged with taking bribes from criminals, protecting chicken fighting and drug operationsAccording to the criminal complaint, Lt. Michael Vaituulala used his position as a lieutenant in the Maui Police Department for personal gain over many years.
- mauinow.com19:26
Michael Vaituʻulala, 53, a lieutenant with the Maui Police Department, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, according to an announcement today from the United States Attorney Ken Sorenson.
Fri, 7 August 2026
1 report- mauinews.com00:15
A Maui Police Department lieutenant who most recently commanded the department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit has been charged in federal court on allegations he accepted bribes to protect illegal chicken fighting operations and drug traffickers. According to a criminal complaint announced Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii, 53-year-old Michael Vaitu’ulala used […]