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Man, 25, found guilty of sexual exploitation of minor

COURTESY DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
                                Justin Joshua Serrano Eugenio

COURTESY DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Justin Joshua Serrano Eugenio

An Oahu Circuit Court jury found a 25-year-old man guilty Monday of commercial sexual exploitation of a minor.

Justin Joshua Serrano Eugenio faces up to 10 years in prison for the Class B felony when he is sentenced May 7 before Judge Catherine Remigio.

The Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested Eugenio as part of a Jan. 22, 2023 operation for soliciting sex from what he thought was a 16-year-old girl.

Instead it was an undercover law enforcement officer with the task force posing as an underage teen.

“Eugenio knowingly attempted to engage in sexual acts with a minor in exchange for money ,” Attorney General Anne Loopez said in a written statement. “This makes him a danger to the community. The Department of the Attorney General vigorously prosecutes sexual predators who choose to prey upon our children.”

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Leigh Okimoto of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Division.

The jury deliberated for about two and a half hours before reaching a guilty verdict.

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