A 20-year-old Honolulu man was sentenced to five years imprisonment on Wednesday for possessing child pornography.
Tyler Pang also must register as a sex offender in the jurisdiction(s) where he resides, is employed, or is a student, according to the sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi.
U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price for the District of Hawaii announced that
According to information produced in court, Pang found a sexually explicit video of a minor female online. After identifying her and finding her social media account, Pang contacted the female with threats to disseminate her sexually explicit video unless she produced more explicit images for him. When she refused to comply with his demands, Pang distributed the explicit video to her friends on social media, and continued to threaten her over the course of months. In addition, Pang admitted possessing a collection of child pornography that he offered for sale on the internet.
“The defendant’s despicable conduct in this case appropriately landed him in federal prison for years, where he can reflect upon the harm he caused the victim. As the prosecution made clear, Pang weaponized a sexually explicit video of a minor in his attempt to satisfy his desire for explicit photos of her. My office will continue to seek justice for victims of this kind of extortion, as well as those who victimize our young people by contributing to the market for child pornography by possessing, distributing, or producing it,” said Price.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Early. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.