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Internet sting operation nets retired Honolulu police officer

A retired Honolulu police officer is among four people the FBI arrested this past weekend in an internet child sex sting operation.

The FBI says agents arrested James-Dean Kalani Goeas on Saturday for using the internet to entice a minor for sex when Goeas showed up at a public park to meet with someone he thought was a 13-year-old boy. The “boy” was actually an undercover law enforcement officer who had posted a false profile on a social media and dating application.

One other defendant, Ryan Cowley, was arrested Saturday. Two others, Noel Macapagal and Neal Both-Magnisi, were arrested on Sunday. All four defendants spent the weekend in custody at the Federal Detention Center and made their initial appearance in U.S. District Court today.

First-degree electronic enticement of a child under Hawaii law is a class A felony punishable by a 20-year prison term with opportunity for parole. Using the internet, cellular telephone or any facility and means of interstate and foreign commerce makes it a federal offense punishable by a prison term of at least 10 years and up to life with no opportunity for parole.

The Honolulu Police Department says Goeas received his appointment as an officer in 1987 and retired in 2015.

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