Sex offender sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to entice 13-year-old

Sep. 22—A registered sex offender has been sentenced to 11 years of prison for trying to sexually entice a 13-year-old boy and for possessing child pornography.

Senior District Judge Susan Oki Mollway today sentenced Neal Both-Magnisi, 39, from Honolulu after he used a mobile dating application in March 2019 to meet up with another user that featured a photo of a 13-year-old boy, but was an undercover law enforcement agent.

"This prosecution is the successful result of a coordinated effort by several federal and state agencies to fight the threat of child predators using mobile device applications and social media to prey upon children in Hawaii, " said Acting U.S. Attorney Philips in a statement. "We are making concerted efforts to protect children, among the most vulnerable members of our community, from predators employing various forms of electronic media."

Both-Magnisi and the user exchanged text messages and arranged to meet in person at a shopping center in Kapolei to engage in sexual activity. He was arrested after arriving to the location.

After conducting a search at Both-Magnisi's home, law enforcement agents also found 93 videos and 224 images of child pornography, including photos of children who appeared to be as young as 8 years old.

Both-Magnisi's sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. He will also pay $6, 000 in restitution to two identified victims and a $10, 000 special assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.

This case was part of the nationwide initiative Project Safe Childhood to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.