Maui man sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted sexual enticement of a 14-year-old girl

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Nolan Nishida, 37, of Wailuku, Maui, was sentenced today in federal court by Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway to 10 years of imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for attempting to entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.  Nishida is required to pay a $5,000 special assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015. A federal jury convicted Nishida of this offense on February 13, 2020, after approximately two days of trial.

U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price for the District of Hawaii stated that according to court documents and information presented at trial, on October 11, 2017, Nishida engaged in a series of online chats with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. During their conversations, Nishida arranged to meet the girl in person with the intent to engage in sexual activity. Nishida traveled to the agreed-upon location, and was later arrested. 

“My office will continue its ongoing efforts to protect the community from those who seek to endanger our young people by sexually  exploiting them. This case is yet another step in the right direction in protecting Hawaii’s keiki,” stated U.S. Attorney Price.

“Every year thousands of children become victims of crime, whether through kidnappings, violent attacks, sexual abuse, or online predators. The men and women of the FBI are committed to protect the youth of our nation. Today’s sentencing reflects the hard work, dedication, and  partnership between the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI to ensure these predators are brought to justice,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Eli S. Miranda.

The case was investigated by the FBI, and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Nammar and Morgan Early.

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 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.