10 Maui Men Arrested as Part of “Operation Keiki Shield 6”

A total of ten individuals on Maui were arrested and charged for allegedly “soliciting what they believed to be underage individuals for sex,” according to Maui Police.

The arrests were conducted as part of Operation Keiki Shield 6, between March 13 and 15, 2020, as part of an ongoing operation “to identify, locate and arrest offenders who commit internet-facilitated sexual crimes against children and to identify and rescue child victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse.”

Police say those arrested allegedly took “substantial steps” to meet up with those “minors” for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual acts with them.  However, instead of minors, these offenders were actually met and arrested by law enforcement officers, police said.

The following is a summary of arrests and charges as a result of this operation.

March 13, 2020:

34-year-old Kīhei man – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree – Bail Set:  $20,000

March 14, 2020:

32-year-old Kīhei man – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree – Bail Set:  $20,000

28-year-old Lahaina man – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree and Indecent Electronic Display to a Child – Bail Set:  $22,000

64-year-old Kahului man – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree and Indecent Electronic Display to a Child – Bail Set:  $22,000

34-year-old Kīhei man – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree – Bail Set:  $20,000

March 15, 2020

37-year-old Kīhei man – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree – Bailed Set:  $20,000

46-year-old Hāliʻimaile man – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree – Bail Set:  $20,000

27-year-old Kīhei man – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree and Indecent Electronic Display to a Child – Bail Set:  $22,000

52-year-old Kīhei man. HI – Arrested and Charged – Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree – Bail Set:  $20,000

40-year-old Wailuku man – Arrested and Charged – of a Child in the First Degree – Bail Set:  $20,000

DISPOSITION OF CASES:

All cases have been referred to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for review.

FOLLOW UP INVESTIGATIONS:

The Maui Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is actively investigating additional criminal offenses as a direct result of this operation.

CONCLUSION:

“The online sexual exploitation of young children and teenagers alike in our community is happening and is a real threat,” police said in a press release.  “The offenders come from all different walks of life and all different backgrounds.  The only commonality is the lasting emotional and physical damage that they do to our children,” police said.

The Maui Police Department and law enforcement partners in the ICAC Taskforce say they are vigorously pursuing these online predators and will continue to do so for the safety of children.  “In that context we have a message for you:  If you are sexually exploiting the children in our communities, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent possible,” police advised.

The operation is under the overall blanket of the State of Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General, Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce and includes officers and agents from local, state, and federal law enforcement.

Operation Keiki Shield 6 was hosted by the Maui Police Department and included officers and agents from the Maui Police Department, the Kauaʻi Police Department, the Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General, the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Secret Service.