KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (KHON2) — Dominic Roberts, a 19-year-old Kona man, was sentenced on multiple felony charges relating to child sexual abuse material on June 20 at Kona Circuit Court, the Hawaiʻi Island Office of the Prosecuting Attorney said.
Roberts was convicted of Promoting Child Abuse in the First Degree and Use of a Computer in Commission of a Separate Crime, which are both Class A felonies. He was also convicted of Promoting Child Abuse in the Second Degree — Dissemination, which is a Class B felony.
He was sentenced as a Young Adult Defendant, and received the maximum sentence of eight years for the Class A felonies, and for five years in prison on the Class B felony. Roberts will serve concurrent sentences, and is required to register as a sex offender.
Roberts’s minimum sentence will be determined by the Hawaiʻi Paroling Authority.
The case came from an ongoing global investigation into online conduct, where authorities were able to identify Roberts as an affiliate of an online group that engaged in stalking, harassment and bullying of teenagers, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
According to officials, vulnerable children online were often forced to make content of a disturbing nature, which would then be used to blackmail or extort the child for more content.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney strongly urges the community to be aware of the dangers of online extortion and to protect their keiki from online threats.