Hawaii Man Sentenced to Nine Months in Prison for Webcam Exposure to a Minor

HONOLULU—A Honolulu man convicted of transferring obscenity to a minor under 16 years old residing in Australia, over the Internet, was sentenced to nine months in prison by United States District Judge J. Michael Seabright on October 3. Kyle Kaponiokalani Saito, 22, pleaded guilty to the offense on June 23, 2011 in United States District Court in Honolulu. Once he is released from prison, Saito will be subject to three years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. Saito admitted in court that he engaged in sexually explicit communications with a 14 year-old girl over the Internet and used a webcam to broadcast live images of his genitalia to the girl.

Florence T. Nakakuni, United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said that federal law prohibits transferring obscenity to a minor, and that such conduct is no less culpable when it occurs over the Internet. U.S. Attorney Nakakuni said that this prosecution demonstrates that there are real consequences for anyone who thinks that he or she may act with impunity or anonymity with regard to criminal conduct with minors over the Internet.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

The case against Saito resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and law enforcement authorities in Australia. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Amy Olson.