O‘ahu Youth Coach Sentenced for Child Pornography
An O‘ahu man and youth sports coach was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for child pornography.
United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi handed down the sentence to Rian Harold Ishikawa, 44, of Kailua, for his guilty pleas to six counts of production of child pornography. Kobayashi also ordered that Ishikawa serve 15 years supervised release after his prison term
ends, a press release from the U.S. Justice Department stated.
Ishikawa was arrested on June 29, 2020, and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on April 1, 2021.
During Thursday’s hearing, the court found that from November 2012 to July 2015, Ishikawa produced child pornography involving at least six children between the ages of 9 and 11. The children were friends of Ishikawa’s child and participants in youth sports teams coached by Ishikawa.
Using a hidden cellphone, Ishikawa video-recorded each child changing clothes, showering, or drying off in a bathroom in his Kailua residence. Ishikawa also created close-up still images of the video-recorded children’s naked genitalia.
Evidence of Ishikawa’s child exploitation crimes first came to the attention of his email provider in November 2019, and was subsequently reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and to Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), which conducted an investigation.
“Ishikawa’s substantial prison term, as well as the 15-year term of supervision to follow imprisonment, reflects the egregious nature of his sexual exploitation crimes, including the fact he perpetrated them as a coach and parent,” said U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors. “Our office will continue to protect the community by investigating and prosecuting those who prey on our children.”
“This significant sentence is the result of tireless work by a team of law enforcement professionals that is laser focused on keeping our keiki safe by identifying predators and bringing them to justice,” added HSI Special Agent in Charge John F. Tobon.
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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and 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.