comscore Man, 73, sentenced to 10 years in prison for sex assault of girl, 13 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Top News

Man, 73, sentenced to 10 years in prison for sex assault of girl, 13

Honolulu Star-Advertiser logo
Unlimited access to premium stories for as low as $12.95 /mo.
Get It Now

A Kauai Circuit Court judge sentenced a 73-year-old registered sex offender Wednesday to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Joseph Costa Rita Sr. of Kalaheo was convicted of third-degree sexual assault and failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements, both Class C felonies. He was sentenced to five years for each felony, to run back to back , according to a Kauai County news release.

During sentencing, Deputy Prosecutor Lisa Arin said Rita betrayed the trust of the victim’s family by taking advantage of their hospitality when they provided him a place to live and invited him to be part of their family. Arin urged Watanabe to impose the consecutive sentence, emphasizing Rita committed the sexual assault less than a year after he served a 15-year prison term for prior sexual assault and incest convictions.

Rita’s attorney Stephanie Sato asked Watanabe to consider his age, health issues and eligibility for parole.

Comments have been disabled for this story...

Click here to see our full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. Submit your coronavirus news tip.

Be the first to know
Get web push notifications from Star-Advertiser when the next breaking story happens — it's FREE! You just need a supported web browser.
Subscribe for this feature

Scroll Up