Former Officer Convicted of Enticement of a Minor

A retired police officer faces a decade behind bars after being convicted in federal court of sexual enticement of a minor.

James Dean Kalani Goeas, 63, of Waipahu, Hawai‘i, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court by United States District Judge Jill Otake to 120 months of imprisonment and 15 years of supervised released for knowingly attempting to entice an individual who had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in unlawful sexual activity.

US Attorney Kenji M. Price for the District of Hawai‘i stated that according to court documents and information presented in court, Goeas engaged in a series of online chats and telephonic text sessions with an undercover agent acting in the role of a 13-year-old male on March 23 and March 23, 2019.

During their conversations, Goeas arranged to meet the underage male at Maukalani Park with the intent to engage in sexual activity. When Goeas arrived at Maukalani Park on March 24, agents arrested him. At the time of Goeas’s arrest, agents located both condoms and lubricating gel in his vehicle.

During a post-arrest statement, Goeas admitted to past unlawful sexual contact with minor males.

“While online platforms and cellphones enhance our ability to connect with friends and loved ones, unfortunately, child sex predators use them to try to sexually exploit children,” stated US Attorney Price. “My Office will continue to partner with the FBI to fight child sex exploitation and, through our enforcement efforts, remind child sex offenders that we will find a suitable home for them in federal prison.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and it was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Ken Sorenson. This 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 (CEOS), 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.