CSA in the USA > Man sentenced to 60 years for CSA on Maui; Hawaii must pay special needs high school student $14m; Ky man arrested for CSAM; NY Man pleads guilty to CSA in Pa.

 

Maui man sentenced to 60 years in prison for child sex assault

A Maui judge sentenced a Lahaina man to 60 years in prison for reportedly sexually assaulting a child over the course of four years.

Roberto Omar Morales Andrade, 49, went on trial in July over 18 counts of sexual assault — eight counts in the first degree and another eight in the third degree. After a two-week trial, the jury unanimously returned a guilty verdict on all counts.

On Monday, Judge Kirstin Hamman handed down a sentence condemning Andrade to three consecutive 20-year sentences, giving him a release date of 2086.

According to a sentencing memorandum, Andrade repeatedly assaulted the victim, a nine-year-old girl at the time the assaults began, between 2014 and 2018. Andrade was reportedly in a relationship with the victim's mother, living in the same household for some time, and repeatedly assaulted the victim with increasing severity, offering money for sexual favors and telling the victim her mother would not believe her if she reported his actions.

In 2018, the victim, then 13 years old, described the abuse via text to another person, which was eventually read by a family member, leading to Andrade’s initial arrest, but he was released without bail pending further investigation. That investigation was reopened four years later, in 2022, leading to Andrade being arrested again.

OMG - no consideration for the child whatsoever. The 4-year delay should be investigated and someone should answer for it.

Andrade first went to trial in 2024, but the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, causing a mistrial and allowing Andrade to be released once again pending a retrial.

At the time, Maui County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Frank Loyd Jr. urged the court to not permit Andrade’s release, as Andrade, not a U.S. citizen, was immediately placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faced deportation to Mexico, which would prevent him from standing trial. Ultimately, however, Andrade’s federal deportation hearings were postponed until 2028, allowing the case to continue.

“[Andrade] took advantage of his position as an adult to manipulate a young, vulnerable victim into believing that this routine of sexual abuse was normal,” Loyd wrote. “The only way to protect … the public from further crimes of the Defendant is to incarcerate him for as long as possible.”

A victim impact statement submitted by the victim’s mother reported that her daughter was deeply emotionally traumatized by Andrade’s actions and had much of her social life curtailed “out of a very real and constant fear that the offender was stalking, watching or seeking an opportunity to approach her.”

Loyd initially called for Andrade to serve one consecutive 20-year sentence for each year he subjected the victim to abuse, for an 80-year total sentence.

“This administration is committed to pursuing justice for survivors of child sexual assault and holding offenders accountable through prosecution under the law,” said Maui Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin. “Every child deserves to be safe, protected and heard.”

State must pay $14 million in McKinley High sex abuse case

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaiʻi taxpayers must pay more than $14 million after the state Department of Education allowed repeated sexual assaults of an intellectually disabled girl at McKinley High School, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court ruled last week, ending a 15-year legal battle.

Background of the case

The girl, identified in court documents as “Amy,” had an IQ of 40 and the thinking ability of a 5-year-old. McKinley High School placed her in regular education classrooms and, over the years, at least a dozen boys took advantage of her, according to the family’s attorneys.

“She would do what they told her to do,” said Susan Dorsey, attorney for the disabled student. “The kids were telling the teachers what she was talking about. And the more this got out, the more boys were coming to her.”

Mother learns of the abuse

Amy’s mother, Randi, is a hairdresser and raising Amy on her own. She said she did not know about the abuse until her daughter told her a boy had hurt her.

“I remember just driving, and just having to keep a complete straight face, and just screaming inside, because I didn’t want to disturb what she was saying, to make it seem like she was wrong,” Randi said.

Dorsey said when Amy was traumatized, she had “a catastrophic psychotic breakdown” and was hospitalized for three months.

“She just wanted to end her life because of everything that had happened to her. Yeah. Sexually,” Randi said.

Dorsey said the court experience further traumatized Amy.

“No child should ever have to endure this level of torture, that they put her through. Three years of sexual abuse of a child and they never took responsibility for it. To this day, they have never taken responsibility,” Dorsey said.

Fifteen years of litigation

Attorneys Dorsey and Eric Ferrer took the case in 2011, the start of 15 years battling the Department of Education and the attorney general.

“They spent years blaming her. They spent years blaming her mom. It was really an egregious case,” Dorsey said.

The attorney general insisted on questioning Amy under oath in a series of depositions. She was in her early 20s at the time but still clutched a stuffed monkey for comfort.

“It was hard for her. She had so many nightmares, because she’s around people that she don’t even know, and having to ask her questions about things that had happened to her, and, um, questioning her in a way where it was her fault and my fault,” her mother said.

“They wanted to break her and have her admit to something that would be good for them,” Dorsey said.

Supreme Court ruling

After more than 10 years in court, Judge Jeff Crabtree found the Department of Education negligent, but ruled the boys involved were responsible for a third of the damages. Both sides appealed.

The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled last week that “there was extensive evidence that school personnel knew of Amy’s significant cognitive disabilities, recognized her extraordinary vulnerability to sexual exploitation, were repeatedly confronted with warning signs that she was being sexually abused, but failed to take reasonable measures to prevent it.”

The court held the state responsible for all $14,167,354 in damages, plus 10% interest.

“That’s what I would be angry about as a taxpayer, that it costed them a lot more than it would have had, originally, they taken responsibility for what had happened,” Dorsey said.

Randi said she is thankful for the ruling.

“I’m thankful, so thankful for it, because there’s so many other families that are going through so much grief, and it’s about time that things... be made right,” Randi said.

The attorney general’s office said it is reviewing the implications of the ruling but did not answer additional questions.

Amy is now 32 years old and will need specialized care for the rest of her life.

Previous coverage

• Judge orders state DOE to pay $10M to sex abuse survivor after 10-year legal battle
• EXCLUSIVE: 2 suspects in McKinley High sex assault case now behind bars for other sex crimes

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Kentucky man facing child sexual exploitation charges

KNOTT COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A man was arrested in relation with a child sexual abuse material investigation, according to Kentucky State Police.

Officials say they arrested 46-year-old Jared Salmons as part of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation. The investigation revealed that the suspect had been uploading sexually explicit photos of minors to one of his social media accounts, KSP said.

Jared Oneil Salmons, 46(Kentucky River Regional Jail)

A search warrant executed on Oct. 13 led to the seizure of the equipment used to commit the crime, according to KSP. The equipment was sent to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination, officials said.

Salmons is facing 17 counts of distributing matter (material) portraying a minor under 12-years-old in a sexual performance, which is punishable by five to 10 years in prison.

He is lodged in the Kentucky River Regional Jail.

Knotts Co., Ky

New York man pleads guilty in Pa. child sex-crime case

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by FOX56 NEWSROOM  

Wed, October 14, 2026 at 11:47 AM

Updated Thu, October 15, 2026 at 1:29 PM

MILFORD, PIKE CO. (WOLF) — A central New York man pleaded guilty to felony charges after Pike County detectives said he arranged to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl for sexual contact.

Robert Poirier, 35, of Vernon, New York, pleaded guilty to attempted statutory sexual assault, criminal solicitation involving sexual abuse of children and unlawful contact with a minor, Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin announced.

Investigators said Poirier used electronic communications to arrange a meeting in Pike County. Detectives arrested him when he arrived at the location, according to the district attorney’s office.

Police said they found condoms in Poirier’s backpack.

Poirier faces a maximum possible sentence of 27 years in state prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 8, 2027, before Judge Gregory H. Chelak.

Judge Chelak also ordered a Sexual Offenders Assessment Board evaluation to determine whether Poirier meets the legal criteria to be classified as a sexually violent predator. The district attorney’s office said Poirier would be subject to lifetime registration requirements in Pennsylvania if he lives, works or attends school in the state.

The Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > Timothy Busfield CSA case thrown out of court; Russell Brand's case in full swing

 

Judge tosses child sex abuse charges against actor Timothy Busfield, citing prosecutor misconduct

Busfield has repeatedly denied allegations linked to his time as director on set of TV show

The Associated Press · Posted: Oct 16, 2026 2:38 PM PDT | Last Updated: October 16

A New Mexico judge has dismissed an indictment against West Wing and Field of Dreams actor Timothy Busfield that accused him of criminal sexual contact with a child, citing prosecutorial misconduct and errors that undermined the grand jury process.

State District Judge Joseph Montano granted a defence motion to toss the charges in a decision released Friday.

Busfield has repeatedly denied the allegations, describing them as lies motivated by revenge.

Prosecutors did not immediately say whether they would seek a new indictment.

The case stems from when Busfield was directing the TV series The Cleaning Lady from 2022 to 2024. The parents of two twin boys who were let go from the show claimed that Busfield inappropriately touched the children on the set in Albuquerque, N.M.

According to a criminal complaint filed in January, an investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department said a boy reported that Busfield touched him on his private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was seven years old and another time when he was eight.

• West Wing, Thirtysomething actor Timothy Busfield indicted on 4 counts of sexual contact with a child

• Actor-director Timothy Busfield turns himself in to authorities on child sex abuse charges

The boy's twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he did not specify where and didn't say anything because he didn't want to get in trouble, the complaint said.

Busfield turned himself in and was released from jail pending trial by a judge who found no pattern of criminal conduct or similar allegations involving children in Busfield's past.

The grand jury indictment followed just weeks later, reiterating allegations that Busfield "touched or applied force to the intimate parts" of one of the boys on several occasions. The indictment allowed the case to proceed without a preliminary hearing on evidence.

Busfield's attorneys noted that the children told police during initial interviews that Busfield didn't touch them inappropriately and accused the boys' parents of coaching their children to give incriminating statements after the boys lost lucrative roles on the show.

Defence argued prosecutors ignored lack of evidence

In June, Busfield's attorneys officially asked the court to throw out the indictment, alleging in a motion that prosecutors were "willfully blind to the lack of evidence" and "invented procedural hurdles" to keep grand jurors from hearing witness testimony.

During a September hearing, Busfield's attorney Amanda Fayerberg played audio recordings of grand jurors asking to hear from additional witnesses. Fayerberg said prosecutors wrongly informed jurors that subpoenas would be needed, even though those witnesses were "present, available and willing to testify."

"The state engaged in egregious prosecutorial misconduct," Fayerberg said.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Greer Staley countered that the defence hadn't followed the correct process for submitting evidence to a grand jury and that Busfield himself improperly and "excessively" tried to steer grand jurors toward favourable witnesses and exhibits during his three-hour testimony.

Busfield appears at a hearing at the Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque, N.M., in January. (AJ Skuy/Fox News/The Associated Press)

According to the transcripts of the proceedings submitted by Busfield's attorneys, the actor also known for appearances in Thirtysomething told jurors that the case had turned his life upside down and affected his entire family. He testified that he had been "cancelled," meaning he lost work and was fired by his agency.

Busfield also testified that he had nothing to hide and when asked about the allegations that he had caressed the children, he answered: "I'm saying that is absolutely one gazillion percent untrue. Never ever."

Prosecutors had said each count in the indictment carried a possible penalty of six years in prison that could be enhanced.

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Russell Brand’s trial: what we’ve heard and seen so far

Accused of assaulting six women, the former comedian and presenter denies all charges

Russell Brand’s trial at Southwark crown court began this week, with widespread media coverage. The former comedian and presenter is accused of assaulting six women. He denies all charges. Here are five things we have learned so far:

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   1. ‘Indiscriminate and voracious’: the prosecution sets out its case

   Brand faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six women, in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999 to 2009. He denies all the charges and has pleaded not guilty.

   Jury selection began on Monday but the prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC opened the case on Wednesday. She told the court that Brand, 51, was a ruthless, calculated and manipulative predator with an “indiscriminate and voracious” desire for sexual contact.

   His methods varied, she argued, and women were just a means to an end for him.

   “Sometimes he might tell women what they wanted to hear, be nice, be kind. Sometimes he might have appeared interested in their cause, sometimes he might even have made sexual advances within minutes of meeting them, identified someone young and impressionable where he was performing – but every time he had identified his target, he was intent on trying to fulfil his sexual desire,” Karmy-Jones said.

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   2. ‘I was like a zombie’: court hears first women’s accounts

   The court has so far heard from two of the six women who have made allegations against Brand. Both women have given evidence from behind a screen, and the trial judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, has told the jury that the measure was quite standard, saying: “Don’t hold it against anyone.”

   The earliest allegation Brand faces is from a woman who claims the TV personality raped her after a fringe cabaret show at the 1999 Labour party conference in Bournemouth.

   She broke down in tears in the witness box on Thursday as she told how Brand was “monster-like” when he pushed her on to a bed in a hotel room in an attack that left her feeling as if she couldn’t breathe.

   “I was like a zombie on the bed. All I could think was he’s inside me and the quicker the better,” she said.

   Brand is accused of indecently assaulting the second alleged victim, who told the court on Friday that he transformed into a “wild-eyed maniac” when he tried to drag her into a men’s toilets for a sexual encounter.

   The woman, who was working for MTV at the time, alleged she “wrenched” herself free, saying: “I emerged relatively unscathed. He didn’t manage to rape me.”

3. ---

   3. 'No power imbalance': Brand sets out his defence

   The court heard that in prepared statements in police interviews, Brand denied all the allegations. He said he had never engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity, and suggested some accounts may have been reinvented or imagined after a 2023 documentary about his alleged sexual misconduct.

   His defence barrister, Ian Winter KC, suggested to the first complainant that Brand was a “very young-looking boy” and there was “no power imbalance” during their alleged encounter in 1999.

   He suggested to the second complainant that Brand had “invited” her into the toilet for a consensual sexual encounter and that it had been a “short-lived, very, very minor incident”.

4. ---

   4. 'I pray for everybody': Brand puts faith in Christian image

   Brand has arrived at court with his wife, Laura, on three of the five days the case has been sitting. His security guard and members of his entourage have sat in the public gallery each day.

   Arriving at Southwark crown court on Friday in his signature dark suit, cross necklace and long scarf, the actor said: “Obviously it’s an extraordinary and stressful situation, but it is also an exploration of truth and justice and, as I’ve said before, I pray for everybody involved.

   “It’s in a way very, very sad but hopefully it can bring about some conclusions that are beneficial.”

   In court, Brand has sat upright with his hands in his lap, appearing to listen intently to the evidence. Journalists sitting in the press gallery, directly behind the glass dock, have caught glimpses of his reflection as he stares ahead. Occasionally, he has been spotted clutching prayer beads.

5. ---

   5. The court case as content

   Brand has arrived at court each morning to a large crowd of photographers and journalists from across the world.

   There has been widespread international coverage of the case, including in the US, where Brand now lives with his wife and children.

   Each day there have been at least 20 journalists crammed into court 3 where the trial is taking place, and about 30 more have been watching on a screen in another courtroom in the building. Some have accessed the case remotely via CVP link.

   There are at least five daily podcasts covering the trial, and several journalists from the same outlets have been angling to get into court.

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