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Two Indicted in Hawaii on a Trafficking Case

A federal grand jury has indicted a Honolulu man and woman on charges they operated a sex-trafficking operation that involved women and children and advertised their services on the Craigslist Web site.

Rodney D. King, 43, was charged with five counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government. Sharon-Mae Nishimura, 30, is accused of assisting King and was indicted on similar charges.

King, also known as "Shadow" and "Special K," is scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court here on June 29. A warrant has been issued for Nishimura's arrest.

The grand jury indicted the two on May 20, but the indictment was kept under seal until yesterday. If convicted, each faces a prison term of 15 years to life.

Prosecutors allege that King was a pimp who ran a sex-trafficking operation in Honolulu from April 2006 to June 2007. The indictment accuses King of using force, fraud and coercion to engage three women and two girls in his commercial sex operation.

King directed Nishimura to place ads for prostitution involving one of the women and the two girls on Craigslist, using a computer at King's home, the indictment said. King would then arrange for transportation for the females to meet the customers, according to the court document, and directed Nishimura, also known as "Sassy," to collect the fees.

King also is accused of providing a 16-year-old girl with crystal methamphetamine "in order to induce continued compliance" by her with his sex-for-hire operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren Ching, one of the prosecutors in the case, would not comment on specifics, but said his office will prosecute cases such as this to the fullest. "The U.S. Attorney's office prosecutes sex-trafficking offenses to disrupt these activities and to deter the predatory actions of those who exploit minors and women," Ching said.

In 1999, King pleaded guilty in federal court to arranging for the transportation of a minor to a Waikiki hotel for prostitution. He was sentenced to two years in prison. Last month, he was sentenced to two years in federal prison for violating terms of his supervised release, according to court documents.

Adapted from: Curtis Lum, "2 are indicted in sex-trafficking case," Honolulu Advertiser, 19 June 2009.