Jury finds man guilty of attempted enticement of a minor

 HONOLULU, Hawaii – A federal jury today found Noel Macapagal, 47, of Kaneohe, Hawaii, guilty of attempted enticement of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). The verdict followed a four-day jury trial before United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi. Sentencing is scheduled for March 11, 2021.

According to the evidence presented during trial, in March 2019, an undercover law enforcement officer posing as the mother of three young girls, aged 6, 9, and 11, exchanged messages on-line with the defendant in connection with making her daughters available for sexual activities. The defendant was later arrested when he drove to meet them in person.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc A. Wallenstein and Morgan Early.