Waipahu Man Sentenced to 22 Years for Grooming Children Online to Produce Explicit Images
United States Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii announced that David Yamamoto, 28, of Waipahu, Hawaii, was sentenced by United States District Judge Shanlyn A.S. Park to 264 months (22 years) in federal prison for the production of child pornography, followed by 10 years of supervised release. The sentencing took place on October 15, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii in Honolulu, and Judge Park remanded Yamamoto into custody immediately at the end of sentencing.
According to court records, from in or around 2023 to 2025, Yamamoto used online gaming and messaging applications to find and groom children located in the United States and in foreign countries to send him sexually explicit videos and images of themselves. Yamamoto misrepresented his age by posing as a teenager on gaming applications geared towards teens and preteens. He then offered and sent money and gifts to over ten children as payment for engaging in sexually explicit live stream video calls with him and for sending sexually explicit imagery of themselves at his direction.
Court records also show that Yamamoto exchanged tens of thousands of online messages with minors ranging in age from ten to seventeen years old, directing them to engage in specific sexually explicit conduct and to recreate images of explicit adult pornography that he had sent to them.
"The devastating harm Yamamoto inflicted on his numerous victims can never be undone, but his 22-year sentence sends a potent message that those who prey upon our children will face harsh penalties in federal court," said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson, adding that his office, together with partners at the FBI, will continue to pursue child predators.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Honolulu 的 Prince Kuhio 联邦大楼（资料图）。Tony Webster 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: The Prince Kuhio Federal Building in Honolulu, Hawaii (file photo). By Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
