Former Punahou coach long accused of sexually assaulting players is arrested on child porn charges

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The FBI raided former Punahou basketball coach Dwayne Yuen’s home on Thursday morning and arrested him on child pornography charges.

Yuen has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple people, including Punahou alumna and MMA star Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.

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The FBI, working with state law enforcement officials, raided Yuen’s Manoa home early Thursday and searched his property.

U.S. Attorney for Hawaii Clare Connors called the allegations against Yuen “a reprehensible violation of the trust both parents and the community.”

In court documents, federal authorities alleged that Yuen possessed pornographic pictures of one of his former female players ― who was 17 at the time.

The complaint also says that he sent naked pictures of himself to the girl in 2020 and repeatedly asked her to “perform sex acts on him.” Federal prosecutors also said he repeatedly offered to pay her for sex and phone sex.

“The alleged actions of Mr. Yuen are nothing short of disgraceful,” said the FBI’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Floyd.

Several high-profile local women athletes have made similar accusations against Yuen.

They said they have been waiting for years for this day.

“I was totally blown away ... and I just started crying. It was tears of happiness and tears of relief,” said Punahou graduate and MMA star Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.

Macfarlane and former University of Hawaii women’s basketball standout Shawna-Lei Kuehu filed civil lawsuits against Yuen, alleging he groomed them when he was their coach at Punahou and sexually assaulted them when they were minors.

The suits were settled out of court and Yuen never admitted wrongdoing.

He was not prosecuted because the statute of limitations on criminal charges had expired.

“We are all incredibly relieved that there is another avenue by which he can be punished for the things that he’s done -- and quite frankly, for the things that he continued to do,” said Crystal Glendon, Kuehu’s attorney.

Punahou School issued this statement Thursday: “We have worked actively with and supported the FBI on this matter ... and we admire the courage of survivors in their pursuit of justice.”

During the FBI search of Yuen’s home, law enforcement brought in a dog used to sniff out electronic devices.

Authorities also searched Yuen’s Apple iCloud account, where they said they found three pornographic images of same victim.

Investigators are asking anyone who believes Yuen may have victimized them to come forward by calling (808) 673-2719 or emailing yueninvestigation@fbi.gov.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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