Former Kailua sports coach sentenced to 20 years prison for production of child pornography

Former youth sports coach and Kailua resident Rian Ishikawa has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty on six counts of production of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi sentenced the 44-year-old Ishikawa during a Thursday court hearing, in which he was found to have produced pornography from 2012-2015 that involved at least six children who were 9-11 years old. The victims were children of Ishikawa’s friends and participants in youth sports teams he coached.

“Ishikawa’s substantial prison term, as well as the 15-year term of supervision to follow imprisonment, reflects the egregious nature of his sexual exploitation crimes, including the fact he perpetrated them as a coach and parent,” said U.S. Attorney Clare Connors in a statement. “Our office will continue to protect the community by investigating and prosecuting those who prey on our children.”

Ishikawa used a hidden phone to video record each child changing clothes, showering or drying off in a bathroom in his Kailua residence. He also created close-up photos of the children’s genitalia from the videos.

Evidence first came to the attention of Ishikawa’s email provider in November 2019. He was then reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and to the Homeland Security Investigations.

Ishikawa was arrested on June 29, 2020.