Dwayne Yuen, a 52-year-old basketball coach from Honolulu, was sentenced to 405 months in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to multiple child exploitation and harassment offenses involving ten victims. The sentence was handed down by Senior District Judge J. Michael Seabright.
Yuen, who must also register as a federal sex offender, admitted to crimes against three minor victims, including sex trafficking, coercion and enticement for sexual activity, and production and possession of child pornography between 2005 and 2023. He also pleaded guilty to harassing additional victims through anonymous and obscene communications.
Court documents revealed that Yuen’s criminal conduct spanned nearly two decades. During this time, he coached middle school- and high school-aged girls on both private club teams and at various schools on Oahu. All identified victims were basketball players either coached by or associated with Yuen during their athletic activities.
According to information presented in court, Yuen targeted student-athletes with particular vulnerabilities such as family or financial stressors. He groomed some victims from as young as twelve years old by giving them gifts before escalating his behavior to sexually explicit communications and imagery. In several cases, he threatened the victims or used coercion for sexual contact.
Judge Seabright described Yuen as a “predator with a whistle” who “groomed” and “preyed” on the victims “over and over again.” The judge noted that the “scars clearly run deep” for the affected individuals.
“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,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “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 stated: “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 and Obscenity Section prosecuted this case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation using coordinated federal, state, local resources for investigation, prosecution, victim identification, rescue efforts (more details available at www.justice.gov/psc).
