HSI Honolulu, Big Island, police join forces in child enticement operation
5 arrested trying to solicit minors for sex
HONOLULU — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) worked in cooperation with Hawaiʻi County Police to bust five men who intended to have sex with children, over the weekend. Nolan Okalani Tallett (46), Sonny Eugenio Puerto (29), Kanani Ikaika Perreir Yurong (31), Joseph Michael Powell (37), and Marshall Kawailani Baji (32) have been charged with electronic enticement of a child in the 1st degree.
“HSI Honolulu is committed to arresting and prosecuting those who commit crimes against our keiki [children],” says Special Agent in Charge John F. Tobon. “We are happy to work with our partners at the state and local level by providing the necessary resources to not only get these predators off the streets, but most importantly provide assistance to the victims.”
The men used online platforms to solicit sex from agents and officers posing as minors. Each was arrested when they tried to meet up with police who the men believed to be children. Agents and officers also seized lubrication, condoms, alcohol, and cell phones.
The arrests took place as part of “Operation Keiki Shield” which began on May 5, and concluded on May 9, and targeted predators on Hawaiʻi Island.
The operation was led by Hawaiʻi County Police and was part of a joint effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), including resources from Homeland Security Investigations Honolulu, Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney, The United States Secret Service and the FBI.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 Special Agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
You can follow HSI Honolulu on Twitter @HSIHonolulu.
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