Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen announced that a Hilo man, 59 year-old Robert Alan Akito Kinoshita, was sentenced to 155 months in federal prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine for an incident that occurred on August 2, 2023 in Hilo. The Court ordered that Kinoshita’s sentence be served consecutively to his ten-year sentence for unrelated convictions in State court for Promoting a Dangerous Drug in the Second Degree and Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree in relation to an incident that occurred on May 25, 2020 in Hilo.
As to the federal case, police reports indicate that Kinoshita was observed to be seated within the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle parked within the parking lot at Wailoa State Park. Following the execution of a narcotics search warrant, Area I Vice officers later recovered over 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine and $6,600.00 in U.S. currency from within the motor vehicle.
The investigation for the federal case was conducted by the Area I Vice Section, Hawai‘i Police Department. The case was initially charged in State court and later adopted for prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Perlmutter. The State cases were prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Ha‘aheo Kaho‘ohalahala and Elyssa Correia Keltner.
“Our Office will continue to promote and encourage coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize the prosecution of drug dealers who distribute methamphetamine and hold them accountable for poisoning our community,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen. “These investigations and prosecution were the result of a combined effort by members of the Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area I Vice Section, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Hawai‘i County Prosecutors, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney remains dedicated to the pursuit of justice with integrity and commitment. Anyone having information concerning illegal narcotics distribution should call the Hawai‘i Police Department Vice Section in East Hawai‘i at (808) 934-8423, West Hawai‘i at (808) 329-0423, or Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
