Robert Kinoshita, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Hawaii 2023

Hilo man sentenced to 155 months in prison for methamphetamine trafficking.

A 59-year-old man from Hilo, Hawaii, has been sentenced to 155 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Robert Kinoshita pleaded guilty on October 27, 2023, and had been detained since his arrest in August 2023.

The federal offense occurred in August 2023, while Kinoshita was on state probation. He was caught by the Hawaii Police Department dealing methamphetamine to a confidential informant from his car in Hilo. A search warrant of his vehicle recovered over 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine as well as more than $6,600 in cash and other drug distribution paraphernalia.

According to information produced to the court, Kinoshita’s State of Hawaii felony and misdemeanor convictions include assault, criminal contempt, abuse of a family member, terroristic threatening, theft, driving under the influence, and vehicular offenses. In addition, Kinoshita’s May 2020 arrest in his vehicle in Hilo, after he was found with methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and an unconscious minor who had no pants and displayed physical indications of sexual assault.

In sentencing Kinoshita, Judge Helen Gillmor noted Kinoshita’s life of crime, stating that ‘he has lived a life of crime for forty-one years’ and that ‘protecting the community is an important value.’

‘Today, Robert Kinoshita was finally stopped in his tracks and held accountable for decades of drug dealing offenses and crimes that caused significant harm to others,’ said United States Attorney Clare E. Connors. ‘Justice is best achieved when we collaborate with our state and local partners, as we did in this case and will continue to do every day to protect our community.'

Homeland Security Investigations and the Hawaii Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Perlmutter handled the prosecution.

The court ordered Kinoshita’s prison sentence to run consecutive to a State of Hawaii sentence for prior state convictions in 2021 involving unlawful imprisonment of a minor and promoting a dangerous drug.

The defendant’s real full name is Robert Kinoshita, and he is 59 years old. The exact criminal charges are possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The city and state where the crime occurred are Hilo, Hawaii. The exact date of the crime is August 2023. The sentence or outcome is 155 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. The dollar amount involved is over $6,600 in cash and other drug distribution paraphernalia.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-hi/pr/hilo-man-life-crime-sentenced-155-months-prison-methamphetamine-trafficking