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December 16, 2014Honolulu, HI, United StatesChild Exploitation

Hawaii man indicted on federal child pornography charges

HONOLULU - A federal grand jury returned an indictment late Wednesday charging a Hawaii man with production and possession of child pornography, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI and the Honolulu Police Department (HPD).

Derek M. West, 32, of Waipahu, is accused of three counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. He was arraigned following his indictment and pleaded not guilty. Magistrate Judge Kevin S.C. Chang ordered West detained without bail pending his trial, which is scheduled for Feb. 17, 2015. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Tong.  

According to the complaint filed in the case, the investigation into West began after the HPD received a report that child pornography had been found on the defendant’s cell phone. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the phone and found approximately 482 images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct on the device. HPD detectives then contacted federal investigators because some of the images were found in a computer application based in Canada.

West was arrested Dec. 16. According to the complaint, he later admitted searching the Internet for child pornography, using the computer application to trade child pornography and taking photographs of himself engaging in sexual acts with a 2-year-old girl.

If convicted, West faces a minimum 15-year sentence for each of the three production counts and a maximum term of up to 30 years. The possession charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations and West is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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