Two brothers accused of trafficking a Guatemalan man for forced labor were arraigned Tuesday in Maui after a grand jury handed up an eight-count indictment against them. Axel Camey Chajil, 31, and Brandon Camey Chajil, 35, were arrested Monday night when investigators executed search warrants at a residence in Kīhei, and now face charges that could send each of them to prison for decades if convicted.
The Maui grand jury indicted the pair on August 7, according to Hawaii News Now, which first reported the arrests and arraignment. Each brother was charged with four counts of labor trafficking in the first degree, a class A felony under Hawaii law that carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, per the outlet's reporting. Their cases are being tracked separately in court as State v. Axel Camey Chajil, case number 2CPC-26-334, and State v. Brandon Camey Chajil, case number 2CPC-26-333.
Beyond the trafficking counts, the indictment includes three counts of extortion in the first degree and a charge of unlawful conduct with respect to documents against both men. Under Hawaii statute, first-degree extortion is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, while unlawful conduct with documents is a class C felony carrying up to 5 years and a $10,000 fine, according to the Maui County newsflash detailing the case. Those two charge categories run alongside the four labor trafficking counts each brother faces.
Joint Investigation Led by State and Federal Agencies
The investigation was carried out jointly by the Department of the Attorney General's Special Investigation and Prosecution Division, the Maui Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, per the reporting. SIPD Deputy Attorney General Leigh Okimoto is prosecuting the case. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying and investigating trafficking crimes, to protecting victims, to disrupting trafficking operations, and to holding responsible people accountable, according to the outlet's account of his statement.
“Labor trafficking is a hidden crime that preys on vulnerable members of our community and often occurs behind closed doors,” Pelletier said, per the same reporting. Maui County's own statement on the arrests noted that mugshots and identifying details are no longer routinely released, citing a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on long-term online record accessibility, with exceptions made only when public safety or fugitive warnings justify public release. Axel Camey Chajil and Brandon Camey Chajil are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, Hawaii News Now noted.
SIPD's Growing Role in Neighbor Island Cases
The case marks another enforcement action for a state unit that has steadily expanded its footprint on the neighbor islands. SIPD was created in 2022 with dedicated legislative funding to focus specifically on prosecuting human trafficking, public corruption, and complex economic crimes, according to a Hawaii.gov release from Governor Josh Green's office. Hoodline previously reported on SIPD's expanding caseload as the division worked through thousands of pages of investigative material earlier this year.
Last September, SIPD obtained an indictment in Hawaii County against 26-year-old Ludin Yorleny Pena Miranda on nine counts of first-degree labor trafficking involving alleged exploitation of coerced minors, a case also prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Leigh Okimoto, according to a Department of the Attorney General release. In May 2024, state prosecutors separately charged an Oahu farm operator, 53-year-old Anita Valdez, with three counts of first-degree labor trafficking after an investigation found she allegedly used fraud, deception, and document withholding to control a worker, per a release from Governor Green's office.
A History of Labor Exploitation Cases on Maui
Maui has seen major labor trafficking enforcement before. In May 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recovered $4.8 million toward an $8.1 million court judgment for 54 Thai farmworkers who were subjected to physical abuse, armed guards, and deportation threats at Maui Pineapple Co., according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in a federal lawsuit originally filed in 2011 that ranks among the largest labor trafficking cases in state history.
Labor trafficking cases remain relatively rare in official statistics compared with sex trafficking reports, even as the state's Attorney General notes the crime historically touches agriculture, domestic work, and migrant labor in Hawaii. Hawaii Department of Health data from January through June 2024 recorded 34 human trafficking reports statewide, including four labor trafficking reports, with three total trafficking incidents reported from Maui County during that period; Oahu accounted for 19 of the 34 statewide reports. The National Human Trafficking Hotline received 110 signals from Hawaii in 2023, including three labor trafficking reports and six reports involving both sex and labor trafficking, and has logged more than 1,250 signals from the state since 2007.
Several details about the Kīhei case remain unresolved, including the specific industry where the Guatemalan man was allegedly forced to work, whether additional victims were involved at the residence, the brothers' bail conditions, and who is representing them in court. Members of the public who suspect labor trafficking, corruption, fraud, or economic crime can report it through the Hawaii Attorney General's SIPD tips portal at ag.hawaii.gov/sipd/tips, or by calling the neighbor-island hotline at 1-888-398-1188.
