Kona Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Production of Child Pornography

Michael Phillip Patrakis, 46, of Kailua-Kona, was sentenced on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, to 292 months of imprisonment for the production of child pornography of two minor females. As part of his sentence, Patrakis must forfeit numerous electronic devices, pay a $10,000 assessment under the Justice of Victims of Trafficking Act, and serve 20 years of supervised release. Patrakis will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Michael Phillip Patrakis. HPD Photo.

According to court documents and information presented in court, in March 2015, Minor Female 1 (then 15 years old), and her daughter, Minor Female 2 (then two years old), rented a room in the home of Patrakis, located in Kailua-Kona. At the time, Patrakis knew Minor Female 1 was under the age of 18 and engaged in a sexual relationship with her. Patrakis used Minor Female 1 for the purpose of producing visual depictions of her engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, Patrakis had custody and control over Minor Female 2 when Minor Female 1 worked or left the residence. Patrakis used Minor Female 2 for the purpose of producing visual depictions of her with lascivious exhibitions of her genitals. On Sept. 17, 2015, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the residence, recovering numerous electronic devices with said productions.

At the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayahsi noted that Patrakis’ actions caused “incalculable harm” and hopes the sentence acts as a “deterrence to others.”

“Our Office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those who sexually exploit our young people,” said U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price. “Defendant Patrakis preyed on the vulnerabilities of these two minor females. With the collaboration of our local, state and federal law enforcement, the apprehension and prosecution of Patrakis put an end to the abuse. While his abhorrent actions cannot be undone, today’s sentence reflects the message that predators will be held accountable in our community.”

As this sentencing makes unmistakably clear, child sex predators will receive the justice they are due for their despicable actions,” said Frank Cabaddu, acting Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Honolulu. “HSI will continue to work tirelessly to ensure child predators and sex traffickers receive the justice they deserve. We owe it to the young victims in these cases, who will carry the emotional and physical scars of these crimes for the rest of their lives.”

The case was investigated by the Hawai‘i Police Department and HSI, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren W.K. Ching with the assistance of the Hawai‘i County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit online.