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A Hilo man who has “led a life of crime for 41 years” was sentenced Thursday to nearly 13 years in federal prison after being arrested by Hawaii police with 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine he was selling. .
Robert Alan Akito Kinoshita, who has been convicted in 50 states and has more than 25 pseudonyms, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Helen Gilmore to 155 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. The federal crime occurred in August while Kinoshita was on state probation for a felony habitual property crime.
Mr. Kinoshita pleaded guilty to drug charges in federal district court on October 27. He has been living in the Honolulu Federal Detention Center since his arrest in August.
In his sentencing, Judge Gilmore noted his long state criminal history, which began in 1987. Kinoshita's state convictions include assault, motor vehicle theft, domestic violence, habitual property crime, theft and robbery.
Gilmore told the court that Kinoshita had “lived a life of crime for 41 years.” “Protecting the community is an important value.”
“Please don't let me die here,” Kinoshita wrote in a letter to Gilmore.
“Robert Kinoshita was finally stopped and held accountable for decades of drug trafficking crimes and crimes that caused serious harm to others,” U.S. Attorney Claire E. Connors said in a statement. . “Justice is best achieved when we work together with our state and local partners, as in this case. We will continue to work every day to protect our communities.”
According to Hawaii police, Kinoshita was seen sitting in the driver's seat of a car parked at Wairoa State Park on August 2.
Hawaii Police Department 1st District Deputy Officers found 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine and $6,600 in cash in Kinoshita's car.
The case was originally prosecuted in state court, and the federal prosecution was conducted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca A. Perlmutter. The state case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecutor Ha'aheo Kaho'ohalahala and Deputy Prosecutor Elissa Correia Keltner.
“Our office continues to promote and encourage collaboration among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize the prosecution of drug dealers responsible for distributing methamphetamine and poisoning our communities. “We will continue to do so,” Hawaii State Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Walchen said in a statement. “These investigations and prosecutions are the result of a joint effort by members of the Hawaii Police Department's First Area Vice Division, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Investigation, the Hawaii County Prosecutor's Office, and the United States Attorney's Office.”
Gilmore sentenced Kinoshita to 10 years in prison for unrelated convictions in state court of second-degree promoting dangerous drugs and first-degree false imprisonment of a minor, stemming from an incident in Hilo on May 25, 2020. He was ordered to continue to serve time in prison. .
Details of the case revealed in federal court include that Kinoshita was found in Hilo with methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and an unconscious minor who was not wearing pants and showed physical signs of sexual assault. revealed.
At the time, Kinoshita was out on bail on two state felony charges.
