Former JROTC instructor sentenced behind bars for child porn

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A former JROTC instructor has been sentenced 14 years in prison for sexually exploiting a student, said the U.S. District Court on Friday.

Victor Aguilar, 66, of Kauai pleaded guilty to child pornography offenses in May.

According to court documents, Aguilar admitted that on at least two occasions in 2020, he knowingly possessed visual depictions of a minor victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

At that time, Aguilar was an instructor for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or JROTC, at Waimea High School on Kauai and the minor victim was one of his students.

Officials said as Aguilar admitted in his plea agreement, he did not merely possess these visual depictions. Rather, he used, persuaded, or induced the minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing those visual depictions.

Moreover, Aguilar admitted that he had sexual contact with the minor victim approximately 25 times over a six-month period. This sexual exploitation of the minor victim occurred at school, in his vehicle, and in his home.

”The Court’s sentence reflects both the severity and tragedy of Mr. Aguilar’s crime of child sexual exploitation,” said United States Attorney Clare E. Connors.

“As the Department of Justice increasingly focuses on the plight of victims – especially minors like Mr. Aguilar’s victim – our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute perpetrators of these heinous acts and protect victims as they move through the criminal justice system on a path towards healing.”

In addition to his time behind bars, Aguilar was also sentenced 10 years of supervised release.

United States District Judge Jill A. Otake also ordered nearly $6,000 in restitution and imposed a $10,000 assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

This story will be updated.