Maui Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Attempted Sexual Enticement

A 37-year-old Maui man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.

A federal jury convicted Nolan Nishida of the offense on Feb. 13, 2020, after approximately two days of trial.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaiʻi reports that the Wailuku man, will also serve 10 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term and is required to pay a $5,000 special assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.

US Attorney Kenji M. Price for the District of Hawaiʻi stated that according to court documents and information presented at trial, on Oct. 11, 2017, Nishida engaged in a series of online chats with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. The department had alleged that during their conversations, Nishida arranged to meet the girl in person with the intent to engage in sexual activity. The department reports that Nishida traveled to the agreed-upon location, and was later arrested.

“My office will continue its ongoing efforts to protect the community from those who seek to endanger our young people by sexually exploiting them. This case is yet another step in the right direction in protecting Hawaii’s keiki,” said US Attorney Price.

The case was investigated by the FBI, and it was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Margaret Nammar and Morgan Early. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by US Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.