The mother of two young men assaulted by bouncers at the M Nightclub in early 2016 is disputing claims made by an attorney seeking the release of one of his attackers from federal detention.

The former club bouncer, Michael Buntenbah (also known as Michael Malone), was charged last month with being part of an alleged criminal gang controlled by Honolulu businessman Mike Miske, the former part-owner and manager of M Nightclub at the time of the 2016 assault.

Buntenbah is the president of the small company that created the “Defend Hawaii” brand of clothing and accessories, according to state business registration records.

Buntenbah’s attorney, Michigan-based Gary K. Springstead, argued in a memo filed in court that his client should qualify for release pending trial.

“He has minimal criminal history, with his last conviction being in 2013 for refusing to submit to a blood/breath/urine test,” Springstead said. “He has no felony convictions and no outstanding warrants.”

It is true that Buntenbah “has no felony conviction,” but he is currently facing trial on felony charges in state court.

Evelyn Cullen is the mother of two young men prosecutors say were violently assaulted by Buntenbah and other bouncers in a January 31, 2016 incident at the M Nightclub, which was managed by Miske. She wants to make sure the attack on her sons and their friends isn’t ignored.

Cullen said her sons and two friends were attacked as they were preparing to leave the club at around 3:30 a.m.

One of the men, Chase Aki, was allegedly attacked without warning by a group of bouncers dressed in matching black clothing, including Buntenbah.

Aki later recounted the attack in a sworn deposition, portions of which were filed in court in a related civil lawsuit.

And so I went into the restroom, and I used the restroom. And as I was walking out, I was looking down and fixing my belt, and then as I was fixing my belt, I got struck. I never seen anything, I got hit, and then I woke up on the ground. I regained consciousness on the floor, and I seen everybody in the black clothes with the shoes all surrounding me with somebody pressuring e down from the back, holding me down like knee in the middle of my back, pushing me down, like by my shoulders, and then shoved my head back to the ground as I started waking up, and then as he was holding me down, I seen like a lot of feets around me, and then one came around and punt me and kicked me right in the face….while the other guy was still holding me down, and then so he kicked me, and he kicked me in the fact. And then he ended up, the guy that was on me, ended up put me in a chokehold….

When his friends tried to intervene, they were also attacked and repeatedly punched and kicked, according to the indictment in the case.

Pat Cullen was left unconscious on the ground outside the entrance to the club, with a broken collar bone and bleeding badly from a head wound. His brother worried Pat was going to die and refused to leave him.

“I wasn’t about to leave my brother in case he died,” Kaipo Cullen was quoted as saying. “I didn’t care if they were pummeling me and beating me because if he was gonna die, he was gonna die with me holding him.”

Hawaii News Now reported on the incident and included several post-attack photographs as well as video.

The case was originally set for trial in August 2017, but has been repeatedly delayed. The trial was recently rescheduled to the end of this month, but is now certain to be deferred while the more recent and more serious federal charges move forward.

Evelyn Cullen said she wants to make sure the assault case isn’t forgotten.

“They just pissed off the wrong mom,” she said.

Mike Miske is also awaiting trial for felony assault and criminal property damage stemming from another assault in December 2012 outside the M Nightclub. His half-brother, John Stancil, pleaded no contest in July 2018 to two counts of misdemeanor assault in the same case, and was sentenced to 3 days in jail and one-year probation.