ATTORNEY GENERAL’S SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTION DIVISION INDICTS ALLEGED SEX TRAFFICKER

News release from Hawaii Attorney General, Feb 1, 2023

On January 31, 2023, Manuel Thomas, 29, was indicted by the O`ahu Grand Jury and charged with Sex Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Promoting a Dangerous Drug in the Third Degree.  He is currently being held without bail at O`ahu Community Correctional Center.

Sex Trafficking and Kidnapping are class A felony offenses punishable by up to twenty years in prison. Promoting a Dangerous Drug in the Third Degree is a class C felony offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

The prosecution is being handled by the Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General’s Special Investigations and Prosecution Division (SIPD), which was established pursuant to an initiative of the Hawaiʻi Legislature in 2022.  SIPD is the State of Hawaii’s primary prosecutorial unit responsible for prosecuting human trafficking and sex trafficking.

Attorney General of Hawaiʻi Anne Lopez states:

“The Department of the Attorney General takes the issue of sex trafficking extremely seriously, and we intend to hold Defendant Thomas responsible for his conduct in this case.”

“The HPD’s Morals Detail will continue to investigate and apprehend those individuals who prey on the vulnerable in our society and who profit from human and sex trafficking,” said Chief Joe Logan of the Honolulu Police Department.  “We encourage victims to seek help and for anyone who witnesses suspicious activity to contact HPD or one of our partner agencies.”

If you are a victim of or suspect any sex trafficking activity, call 911. In nonemergency situations, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-(800)-373-7888 or text 233733. To report child trafficking, call the State of Hawai`i Department of Human Services Child Trafficking Hotline at (808) 832-1999 (O`ahu) or 1-(888)-398-1188 (Neighbor Islands). To report missing children or child pornography to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-(800)-THE-LOST (843-5678).”

Defendant Thomas is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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KITV: Alleged Pimp Busted -- Thomas is accused of drugging and pimping a woman, and demanding her to obtain at least $1,000 per day through sex acts, according to court documents. The victim was forced to find clients near the Zippy's in Chinatown.  The victim also told police that Thomas physically and sexually assaulted her and held her against her will.  The victim was able to escape by messaging her mother using Thomas's deceased wife's Instagram account.  Thomas was arrested in Honolulu on Jan. 25, 2023.