A man convicted of sexual assault and the trafficking of two teenagers in Waikiki was given a 40-year prison sentence Wednesday — nearly nine years after he was arrested.

Circuit Court Judge Rowena Somerville sentenced Marquis Green, 39, to 20 years each for first-degree sexual assault and for sex trafficking in prison terms that will run back-to-back.

Green was arrested in 2013 in connection with the sex trafficking of two girls, ages 15 and 17, and the sexual assault of the 15-year-old.

“We asked the court to sentence Green to two consecutive 20-year terms of imprisonment and we are very pleased that Judge Somerville agreed,” Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said in a written statement.

“This sentence ensures that the public will be safe from Green’s violent and unconscionable conduct for a long time and should serve as a warning to all the pimps and traffickers out there,” he said.

A jury on April 21 found Green guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault; two counts of first-degree promoting prostitution (now called sex trafficking); and one count of third-degree sexual assault.

Alm said in April it was the first successful prosecution of a sex-trafficking case in Hawaii in several years, and called Green a “cowardly, vicious pimp” who used violence, alcohol and other means to control his victims.

Somerville allowed sentences for additional counts of sex assault (20 years); one count of sex trafficking (20 years); and assault (one year), to run concurrently. Green was initially arrested at age 30 in 2013, and the judge gave him credit for nearly nine years of time served.

A longtime advocate of victims of sex trafficking called Green’s sentencing appropriate, but “way overdue.”

“They were our clients,” Kathryn Xian, former director of Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery, said of the two teens. “I don’t know why it’s been taking so long. It’s a long time in coming. It’s way overdue.”

She said the 15-year-old girl was “young, confused, pregnant and it was difficult to advocate for her.” She had been “a straight-A student, who met the wrong guy who promised her the world.”

Xian said PASS helped keep the girls safe. With little to no other resources, minors needed to be placed somewhere, and sometimes going back to family was not prudent, she said. “There is a gap between when she is identified as a victim and when trial occurs.”

Xian, who co-founded PASS in 2009, said she began with others to work on the issues and helping victims in 2005.

“I believe that minors are not given enough protection,” she said. “They’re not recognized as victims and are blamed for being complicit. The first thing that we were able to do was to change the definition of a minor, which only covered 15 and under. Those 16- and 17-year-olds could be prosecuted as an adult, so that’s where we entered the arena.”

When Alm was asked why such sex trafficking cases are so difficult to prosecute, Alm said in a written response: “Sex trafficking is often difficult to prosecute because survivors may be reluctant to come forward and relive their trauma when taking the witness stand against their abusers.

“That is why the department, working with HPD and community groups dedicated to ending sex trafficking, have established a continuum of care in which survivors can get the medical and emotional support they need while pursuing justice against their abusers in court.

“Hopefully, successful prosecutions like that of Marquis Green will encourage more survivors to come forward and deter pimps and traffickers.”

Court records show that Green got the 15-year-old girl drunk in June 2013 in his Ala Moana-area apartment and raped her. He also whipped her legs with a belt and punched her in the face after he caught her hanging out with a male friend.

Green also allegedly used two other underage girls, ages 16 and 17, for sex trafficking.

Wednesday’s sentence did not include charges involving the 16-year-old.

Kathryn Henski is a member of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board where prostitution is prevalent. “I believe he should have been given a life sentence. Sex trafficking is unacceptable,” said Henski. “I hope the judge was sending a message.”

As for the victims, she says, “They’ll never have another chance to be whole again. They’ll never grow up to be the young women they might have been.”

Alm called sex trafficking a “heinous crime that often targets the most vulnerable members of our society. We are inspired by the courage and perseverance of the survivors in this case who did not give up, even after years of delays caused by Green.”

To get help

Victims of sex trafficking and sexual assault are encouraged to get help by filing a police report and calling community groups that can assist:

>> Child Welfare Services, 808-832-1999

>> Susannah Wesley Community Center, Trafficking Victim Assistance Program, 808-721-9614

>> Hoola Na Pua, 808-222-1872

>> Hawaii Pacific Health Sex Abuse Treatment Center, 808-524-7273