A Kailua man has pleaded guilty to six counts of production of child pornography in federal court today.

Rian Harold Ishikawa, 43, of Kailua, in a hearing and plea agreement today admitted that, from November 2012 to July 2015, he produced child pornography involving at least six children between the ages of 9 and 11, according to a news release from the District of Hawaii U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The children were the friends of Ishikawa’s own child and participants in youth sports teams that he coached. Ishikawa allegedly used a hidden cell phone to record video of the children changing clothes, showering or drying off in a bathroom in his Kailua residence. He also allegedly created close-up still images of naked genitals recorded in the videos.

Ishikawa had sent the photos to himself via email, and his email provider in November 2019 was the first to become aware of the photos and videos. The evidence was then reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and to Homeland Security Investigations, which then conducted an investigation.

“Crimes targeting children, especially sexually exploitive crimes perpetrated by persons in positions of trust, threaten the overall safety of our community,” U.S. Attorney Clare Connors said in a statement. “These very serious offenses carry significant prison penalties and will be vigorously prosecuted by our office.”

The news release explained that federal jurisdiction exists in the case because Ishikawa used a phone that had been transported across state lines before it was used in the crime. The emails Ishikawa sent to himself of the videos and photos of the children had also crossed state lines by traveling through the email provider’s servers on the mainland.

Ishikawa was arrested in June 2020 and indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2021. His sentencing is scheduled for July 14.

Ishikawa faces imprisonment for 15-30 years followed by supervised release for a term between five years and life for each count. He will also be required to pay restitution of at least $3,000 to each victim.

The plea agreement provides that the government will recommend a 20-year sentence for each count, and the parties will recommend at least 10 years of supervised release afterward.