A 24-year-old Honolulu man who goes by the nicknames “Junta,” “JUWS” and “John Wick” has been indicted on a federal charge of illegally possessing a firearm, after authorities say he was caught with a loaded revolver while already out on bond in a separate case tied to an alleged shooting. Penitila Faamoe appeared in court following the indictment, and a judge ordered him detained pending trial.
FBI Honolulu announced the indictment in a news release
describing Faamoe as a convicted felon who was out on bond awaiting trial in a separate case when he allegedly ran afoul of federal law again. According to court records cited in that release, Faamoe possessed a loaded revolver with an obliterated serial number.
The separate case mentioned in the release is pending in state court and is connected to Faamoe's alleged involvement in a shooting, per the same FBI Honolulu account. Details of that underlying shooting case, including the specific charges Faamoe faces there, were not spelled out in the release.
Facing Years Behind Bars If Convicted
If convicted on the federal firearm charge, Faamoe faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, FBI Honolulu's release states.
Federal law outlines categories of defendants considered risks for pretrial release, including those tied to firearm-related felonies. Among the provisions found in 18 U.S.C. § 3142, the federal pretrial-detention statute, is a category covering felonies involving possession or use of a firearm, destructive device or other dangerous weapon. The excerpt available does not establish how, or whether, that specific provision applies in Faamoe's case.
On the state side, Hawaii law treats reckless endangering as a serious offense in its own right. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes, first-degree reckless endangering is classified as an included offense of attempted second-degree murder, according to the Hawaii State Legislature's published statute.
Part of a Broader Federal Crackdown
FBI Honolulu's release frames the indictment as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice nationwide initiative. The program brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement, along with prosecutors and other public safety partners, and aims to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safer, according to the same release.
Other recent cases out of the Honolulu field office illustrate the kind of sentences federal firearm and drug charges have carried locally in recent months, though these cases are unrelated to Faamoe's. An FBI Honolulu release from this past February described a defendant sentenced to 178 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing methamphetamine and a firearm after a prior felony conviction. A separate release from January detailed a Kauai man sentenced to 17.5 years for drug trafficking and possession of a firearm and ammunition.
FBI Honolulu's announcement did not include additional details about Faamoe's attorney, the prosecutor assigned to the case, or a scheduled trial date. The agency's post on X referred readers to the fuller release for further information on the indictment.
