Dwayne Yuen, a 52-year-old basketball coach from Honolulu, was sentenced to 405 months in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release for multiple child exploitation and harassment offenses involving ten victims. The sentencing took place in federal court, following Yuen’s guilty plea in December 2024 to eleven counts related to sex trafficking, coercion, enticement of minors for sexual activity, production and possession of child pornography, and harassment.
Yuen’s criminal conduct spanned nearly two decades, beginning in at least 2005 until his arrest in February 2023. He coached middle school- and high school-aged girls on both private club teams and at various schools across Oahu. All the victims were either coached by Yuen or associated with him through basketball activities. The offenses included grooming minors as young as twelve years old with gifts before escalating to sexually explicit communications and acts.
Court documents detail that Yuen targeted student-athletes who faced family or financial difficulties. He used anonymous communications to harass several victims and threatened others to coerce them into sexual contact or virtual sexual activity. According to prosecutors, he sent thousands of messages—sometimes up to one hundred per day—and often threatened reputational harm if the victims did not comply.
At sentencing, Senior District Judge J. Michael Seabright described Yuen as a “predator with a whistle” who “groomed” and “preyed” on his victims repeatedly over many years. Judge Seabright stated that the impact on the victims is long-lasting: “the scars clearly run deep” and remain “for life.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson commented: “Dwayne Yuen grossly and repeatedly violated the sacred trust placed in him by his employer and the parents and families of his young female victims. He used his power and position to groom and then serially exploit and victimize the young girls entrusted to his care... While nothing can ever undo the harm he has caused these children and their families, it is our sincere hope that today’s sentence will ensure that our community and children are protected from him, and serve to deter other predators like him in the future. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our dedicated law enforcement partners at the FBI will always continue to hunt down and bring to justice all who seek to exploit Hawaii’s children.”
FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Jose A. Perez added: “Yuen held a position of trust that demanded he protect and inspire young athletes... Instead, he abused his authority by preying upon and threatening his young victims. Today’s sentencing reinforces the message that the victimization of children will not be tolerated by law enforcement. The FBI will continue to meticulously investigate these crimes, which cause irreparable harm and trauma to our nation’s youth.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Honolulu Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca A. Perlmutter along with Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills from the Department of Justice's Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section prosecuted this case.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006—to combat child sexual exploitation online using coordinated efforts among federal, state, local agencies (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
