Hsu

WAILUKU — A Kihei man was taken into custody Wednesday to serve a one-year jail term after being arrested last year when police said he made arrangements online to meet someone he thought was a 13-year-old boy for sex.

Edward Hsu, 50, was among seven men arrested last March as part of the undercover Operation Keiki Shield targeting online child predators.

He was using a global online social app when he learned he was chatting with a 13-year-old boy, who was actually an undercover agent, said Deputy Prosecutor Karen Droscoski.

“There’s no doubt in the state’s mind that the defendant was planning to meet a 13-year-old boy to have sex,” she said. “The state understands this kind of crime may be controversial to some because there’s technically no real victim, but a child should not be victimized first before we take this crime seriously.”

Hsu had pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree electronic enticement of a child.

After his arrest, he participated in intensive sex offender counseling as well as private counseling with another therapist, said his attorney, Cary Virtue.

“It’s severely impacted his ability to be an acupuncturist and physical therapist,” Virtue said. “His husband is still standing by him.”

About 40 people wrote letters to the court supporting him, Virtue said.

Hsu said he was grateful to family members, friends and colleagues who “stood by me this past year.”

“I know I was reaching out to what I thought was a 29-year-old, but I take responsibility for how it progressed,” he said.

While following a plea agreement between the defense and prosecution in sentencing Hsu, 2nd Circuit Judge Kirstin Hamman said she wanted to correct “disturbing” and “delusional” statements in letters from Hsu and some of those supporting him.

His husband wrote, “I will forever believe that Ed would never have agreed to meet with (the undercover agent) if he had been shown photos of a 13-year-old boy instead of a 29-year-old adult.”

His husband also said Hsu’s “heart is very big and open,” which sometimes made him susceptible to “unscrupulous people” trying to deceive him.

A friend said Hsu had been “caught inside a trap designed to catch those that are a danger … ”

Another friend described Hsu as “a gentle soul who wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a human being.”

In his letter the court, Hsu said it wasn’t his intention to hurt anyone and he hadn’t been paying attention.

Hamman said police reports indicated Hsu asked the age of the person he was communicating with. When the special agent responded 13 and asked if that was OK, Hsu said, “Wow, that’s young” and continued to interact with the person.

“You didn’t say, ‘No, that’s too young’ and log off,” Hamman said. “And then you took steps to meet with who you believed was a 13-year-old. You even went to the store to buy an enema.

“You were paying attention. You knew what you were doing. You were not trapped.”

The judge said she believed letter writers’ descriptions of Hsu as “compassionate, friendly, thoughtful, attentive to the needs of others,” as well as gentle, funny and honest.

She said Hsu has no prior record other than a speeding ticket.

As part of his sentence, Hsu was placed on five years’ probation and was required to register as a sex offender for life.

He was ordered to have no contact with minor children and not reside in the same residence with minors.

The Maui Police Department, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service participated in the operation designed to catch predators attempting to prey on children.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.