Kona teenager sentenced to prison for possession, dissemination of child pornography

Dominic Roberts, a 19-year-old from Kona, was sentenced in Kona Circuit Court on Friday to eight years in prison for felony charges regarding possession and dissemination of child pornography, Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen announced in a news release.

This case was the result of an ongoing investigation into online child pornography that stretched across the globe.

According to Waltjen, Roberts was affiliated with an online group that engaged in stalking, harassment and bullying of teenagers. Vulnerable children online were frequently forced to make digital content of a disturbing or repulsive nature, and then this content was further used to victimize them online as it was disseminated or used as blackmail or extortion for additional content.

Roberts was initially arrested in December 2023, at the age of 17. The teenager was found fit to be tried as an adult in the adult criminal court by a State of Hawai‘i family court judge.

According to the indictment, Roberts possessed more than 30 images of child pornography on a cellphone with minors under the age of 12, including images of infants being abused.

The charges stemmed from tips received from the community and the police department’s multiple federal partners that led to the execution of numerous search warrants, which led to the recovery of numerous electronic devices, the indictment said.

Roberts was convicted of first degree promoting child abuse and use of a computer in commission of a separate crime, both class A felonies. He also was convicted of second degree promoting child abuse – dissemination, a class B felony.

Due to his age, Roberts was sentenced to prison as a young adult defendant and received a maximum sentence of 8 years prison on the class A felonies, and 5 years prison on the Class B felony, to run concurrently.

Roberts also will be required to register as a sex offender.

The Hawaiʻi Paroling Authority will determine his minimum sentence.

The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney encourages the community to be aware of the dangers of online extortion and take steps to protect keiki from this type of threat.