A 28-year-old Waikiki man became the first in the state to be charged under a new state law that makes solicitation of a minor for prostitution a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors charged Manuel Maldonado on Thursday with two counts of solicitation of a minor.
Maldonado, arrested Wednesday, was also the first to be arrested on a 2012 sexting law — five counts of promoting sexual images produced by a minor. The law created new offenses for adults who intentionally solicit a minor to electronically transmit nude photos or video of minors. It also prohibits anyone from knowingly possessing a nude image transmitted by a minor.
Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu declined to release details of the solic-itation case but said Maldonado allegedly began communicating with a 16-year-old Kapolei girl earlier this month by cellphone.
It was not known whether the girl was the same victim in both cases.
The two allegedly texted each other, and the girl informed Maldonado of her age, Yu said.
Maldonado allegedly encouraged her to send nude photos of herself to him, which she did, she said.
His bail for the solicitation case was set at $25,000.
The Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery drafted the solicitation bill, part of a legislative package aimed at "culling the demand for those who solicit children for sex," said the organization’s executive director, Kathryn Xian.
"I’m actually very pleased to hear they have actually used it," she said, adding that it is the result of two years of working with prosecutors, the attorney general, lawmakers, the Department of Human Services and HPD.
The governor signed it into law July 1.
The measure is important due to an "unacknowledged high rate of child trafficking," Xian said. "We wanted to affect the demand of prostitution of children, which, by default, is sex trafficking."
Unlike the law governing solicitation of an adult, the mere offer or the payment for sex with a minor needs to occur to constitute solicitation of a minor, but the actual prostitution of the child does not, Xian said.
"It’s a great proactive step at preventing the purchasing of a child for sex," she said.
