Man Sentenced 10 Years for Child Pornography

State circuit judge Glenn J. Kim sentenced Donovan Soto to ten years in prison for disseminating and possessing child pornography.

Donovan Soto.

Attorney General Doug Chin said Soto was convicted of possessing and disseminating images of children being sexually exploited, including possession of over 94 movie files, with 58 of the files depicting children under the age of twelve.

Nine of the files reportedly depicted children being bound or tortured.

Attorney General Chin said, “Child pornography is child abuse. Children were hurt when these movies and pictures were made and they were hurt again every time they were watched and shared. The ten-year prison term this man received is appropriate.”

Soto was charged with two counts of child abuse in the second degree and one count of child abuse in the third degree. The second degree charges were punishable by up to ten years in prison and the third degree charge was punishable by up to five years in prison. The prosecution asked the court to sentence Soto to an open ten-year prison term for the second degree counts and a five-year prison term for the third degree counts, which the court did, sentencing Soto to serve the terms concurrently.

Soto, 54 years old and an Ewa Beach resident, will begin serving his ten-year prison term today.

The sentencing resulted from a joint investigation by special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Hawaiʻi Internet Crimes Against Children task force in the Hawaiʻi Attorney General’s office. HICAC is part of a cooperative nationwide network of Internet Crimes Against Children task forces dedicated to protecting children in the online environment.