A Honolulu man already on probation for a 2023 machete assault is now at the center of a new federal case, with prosecutors alleging he robbed an illegal game room at gunpoint. Federal court records and local reporting indicate the indictment, which had been under seal, was made public this month.
Federal Indictment Targets Alleged Armed Game Room Heist
The federal indictment, unsealed June 24, 2026, names Chris Hong Pham on counts that include robbery affecting interstate commerce under the Hobbs Act and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. According to the indictment and court records cited by the paper, Pham allegedly walked into an unlicensed gambling operation on Dec. 27, 2024, and took cash and other property at gunpoint.
Prior Gun Arrest Included Illegal Conversion Device
Before the game room case surfaced, Pham was arrested in March 2025 after officers said they found a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun with a defaced serial number, an extra magazine and a device designed to convert a pistol to fully automatic fire. The U.S. Attorney's Office detailed the seizure in a March 14, 2025 press release. Local reporting also noted that investigators had reviewed an Instagram clip that appeared to show Pham firing an automatic handgun in public.
Case Tied To Wider Crackdown On Illegal Game Rooms
Authorities say the alleged robbery fits into a broader pattern of violence and crime circling unlicensed gambling rooms across Oʻahu, and federal and local agencies have stepped up enforcement in recent years. The Honolulu Police Department’s Operation Follow Through has focused on permanently closing illegal game rooms, according to the Honolulu Police Department, and reporting shows hundreds of gaming machines were seized in coordinated actions last year. Those crackdowns are aimed at cutting off a steady stream of problems that investigators say often travel with illegal gambling, including shootings, drug activity and robberies.
What The Federal Charges Mean
Prosecutors used the federal Hobbs Act, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 1951, which reaches robberies that affect interstate commerce. A separate federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), adds mandatory consecutive penalties for using or brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, meaning any gun conviction would be stacked on top of any punishment for the underlying robbery.
Pham has been in federal custody since his March 2025 arrest and, according to local reporting, is scheduled to plead guilty in the new federal case, the Star-Advertiser reports. The indictment and related filings are the latest step in an investigation that involved the FBI, the ATF and Honolulu police, and prosecutors will decide whether to accept a plea or push the case toward trial.
