Mason Jordan, age 31, appeared in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Friday after his arrest there yesterday on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution, sex trafficking of a child, and cyberstalking. On May 26, 2022, a Honolulu federal grand jury returned the eight-count indictment against Jordan, which was unsealed after his arrest.
According to the indictment and information presented to the court, Jordan—while an officer of the Honolulu Police Department—took sexually explicit photographs of a child in 2017 and used a hidden camera to record sexually explicit videos of that same child on two occasions in 2016. Jordan is also alleged to have impersonated that child, using social media, to recruit other local children to work for him as underage prostitutes in 2020. Jordan allegedly met up with some of those children for commercial sex acts in 2020. Jordan also allegedly “sextorted” a woman he encountered in connection with his duties as a police officer, using underage photographs he obtained of that woman.
If convicted of the charges, Jordan faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years on three counts of sexual exploitation, a mandatory minimum of ten years and up to life on two counts of coercion and enticement and two counts of sex trafficking, and up to five years in prison for cyberstalking. An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
“The sexual exploitation of children is among the most reprehensible crimes we prosecute and deservedly carries severe criminal penalties,” said Clare E. Connors, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii. “When, as here, the perpetrator is a law enforcement officer sworn to protect the community’s most vulnerable members, including our children, the crime is that much more egregious.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is committed to protecting our keiki by investigating those who intend to do them harm,” says Special Agent in Charge John F. Tobon. “As a former Honolulu Police Officer, Mr. Jordan is well aware of the seriousness of the charges he faces. We look forward to the legal process playing out in court. If anyone has any additional information related to this case, we ask they call us at 808-532-3753.”
“Sexual predators who prey on the most vulnerable members of our society will be identified, investigated, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “The fact that Jordan was an active duty police officer – sworn to protect the public – makes this case particularly appalling. This arrest demonstrates the importance of the FBI’s commitment to work closely with our partners to investigate cases such as this with a sense of urgency to protect our keiki.”
This case was the result of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Honolulu Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wayne A. Myers and Christine Olson are handling the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.