Wilford “Nappy” Pulawa was a Hawaiian organized crime figure who led a syndicate known as The Company through the 1960s and 1970s, and who was ultimately convicted of federal tax evasion tied to his gambling operation and sentenced to 24 years in prison. Law enforcement and journalists have described him as the first and only Hawaiian mob boss, and his story has drawn fresh attention through a book and film project announced by Dwayne Johnson and journalist Nick Bilton.
How He Took Over Hawaii’s Underworld
Pulawa was born around 1935 or 1936, based on reports that he was 37 in March 1973. Little of his early life appears in the public record. By the late 1960s he had pushed aside Alema Leota, whom authorities had long identified as the head of the islands’ organized crime syndicate. A 1973 New York Times report described Leota as the “alleged leader of the syndicate who was eased out by Mr. Pulawa.”1The New York Times. Reputed Mob Boss Is Cited in Hawaii
Leota, a former 82nd Airborne paratrooper with a 1952 fatal beating conviction, always denied being a syndicate boss and called himself a fisherman. He was indicted for tax evasion alongside Pulawa in 1973 and acquitted the following year after prosecutors failed to produce witnesses linking him to organized crime.2Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Alema Leota Obituary
The Company and Its Operations
The syndicate Pulawa commanded was called The Company. At its peak it was considered one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the country, and reporting in The Hollywood Reporter placed Pulawa’s stature alongside mainland figures like Lucky Luciano, Al Capone, and John Gotti. The Company operated through the 1960s and 1970s, fighting outside gangs and what its members characterized as the systematic theft of Hawaiian land and culture by American corporations and Asian crime syndicates.3The Hollywood Reporter. Dwayne Johnson and Nick Bilton Crime Book
Illegal gambling drove the money. Federal prosecutors later established that Pulawa’s gambling operation generated more than $2.5 million a year.4Honolulu Magazine. How Hawaii’s Crime Scene Is Changing Violence tracked the money. A 1970 New York Times investigation counted 17 confirmed gangland murders in Honolulu since 1962, eight of them in the 18 months before November 1970. That October, a known gangland lieutenant and a state senator were killed within two days of each other, and organized crime became a central issue in the gubernatorial race.5The New York Times. Organized Crime Is Growing in Hawaii
Pulawa’s presentation set him apart from mainland bosses. He was known for aloha shirts and fresh orchid leis, cultivating an image rooted in Hawaiian culture even as he ran a violent enterprise.3The Hollywood Reporter. Dwayne Johnson and Nick Bilton Crime Book
Federal Tax Case and Murder Acquittal
A federal grand jury indicted Pulawa and five others on income tax evasion charges in March 1973, and he was scheduled for arraignment in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on March 26, 1973.1The New York Times. Reputed Mob Boss Is Cited in Hawaii The charges tied directly to unreported income from his gambling operation.
Pulawa was also tried for murder, in a proceeding that took place years after the killing itself; the specific details of the victim and circumstances are not fully documented in available records. He was acquitted of the murder charge. The tax case did the damage. He was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in federal prison on the tax charges connected to his gambling empire.4Honolulu Magazine. How Hawaii’s Crime Scene Is Changing
How The Company Came Apart
The syndicate began collapsing in the 1980s as key associates turned. The most significant was Henry Huihui, identified by law enforcement as a leading underworld figure and later described in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser as a hitman.6Civil Beat. The Miske Criminal Enterprise May Be Gone but Other Powerful Crime Networks Remain
In May 1984, Huihui pleaded guilty to state and federal charges of racketeering, gambling, extortion, conspiracy, and murder, including two 1977 killings. In exchange for his cooperation, a state murder-for-hire charge carrying a mandatory life sentence was dropped, and he agreed to a maximum sentence of 26 years. Federal Organized Crime Strike Force head Frank Marine said the government would recommend placing Huihui in both the federal witness protection program and the prison protection program.7UPI. Reputed Crime Leader Plea Bargains, Will Testify
By July 1984, Huihui was being held at a federal prison on the mainland, where state and federal authorities questioned him about murders, labor racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and political corruption. His attorney, David Bettencourt, said Huihui had taken the plea deal against counsel’s advice because he felt he could not get a fair trial given media leaks.8The New York Times. Hawaii Criminal’s Pledge to Talk Seen as Door to Underworld
The organization’s reach extended to Nevada. Alvin George Kaohu, associated with the Hawaiian syndicate that controlled illegal gambling and rackets, was placed on Nevada’s List of Excluded Persons after evidence emerged that junket representatives were paying extortion money to the group.9Nevada Gaming Control Board. List of Excluded Persons
The Book and the Scorsese Film
In 2025, Dwayne Johnson and investigative journalist Nick Bilton announced they were co-authoring a nonfiction book about The Company. Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, acquired the project, which draws on tens of thousands of pages of court transcripts, previously unseen federal investigation files, and interviews with people who lived through the era.3The Hollywood Reporter. Dwayne Johnson and Nick Bilton Crime Book No publication date has been announced.10Publishers Weekly. Crown to Publish Hawaiian True Crime Book Cowritten by Dwayne Johnson
Johnson, who has Polynesian roots, spent formative years in Hawaii, and holds a degree in criminology, called the project deeply personal. “My own family lived through parts of this era, and I’ve seen firsthand the complicated legacy it left behind,” he said. “This isn’t just a gangster story — it’s about power, identity, and what was taken from the Hawaiian people.”11Entertainment Weekly. Dwayne Johnson Writing True Crime Book About Hawaiian Mob He has not claimed a direct personal relationship with Pulawa. He told The Guardian, “The more exhaustive research we do and people we speak to, the more I shake my head at how wildly and profoundly connected we all were. And still are.”12The Guardian. The Rock to Co-Author True Book About Hawaii Mob Boss
A feature film adaptation is in development at 20th Century Studios, with Martin Scorsese directing and Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson, and Emily Blunt attached to star. Bilton is writing the screenplay and producing.13Seven Bucks Productions. 20th Century Lands Martin Scorsese Hawaii-Set Crime Thriller Blunt described it in October 2025 as “the last great American mob story.” As of mid-2026, the film was in active development with a reported budget of $200 million in above-the-line costs, a major script revision was expected by late summer 2026, and if greenlit by Disney, the project was set to be fast-tracked into production.14Yahoo Entertainment. Martin Scorsese, Dwayne Johnson Mob Film