United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi yesterday sentenced Aaron Anthony Hood, 45, of Honolulu, Hawaii, to ten years of imprisonment and 25 years of supervised release for one count of possession of child pornography. Hood previously pleaded guilty to the child pornography offense on September 17, 2019.
In his plea agreement, Hood admitted that from on or about January 23, 2016, to January 27, 2016, he knowingly possessed at least one video of child pornography. The video was approximately 19 minutes long and depicted a 14-year-old female engaged in sexually explicit conduct with Hood. The video was produced using a cellphone. During Hood’s contacts with the 14-year-old minor he also supplied her with drugs and alcohol.
“Hood’s crimes threatened the overall safety of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors. “Sexually exploitive crimes targeting children carry significant prison penalties and will be vigorously prosecuted by our office.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is committed to protecting our community from predators,” said John F. Tobon, HSI Special Agent in Charge. “We will continue to identify and prosecute those responsible for committing these heinous offenses.”
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 CEOS, 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.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that resulted in the indictment. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret C. Nammar and Rebecca A. Perlmutter are prosecuting the case.