Kenneth James Sasaki, 65, began serving a 10-year prison sentence Aug. 10. Page Police Department arrested and booked the Page man into Coconino County Jail Oct. 14, 2020. Sasaki was charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
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Kenneth James Sasaki, 65, began serving a 10-year prison sentence Aug. 10. Page Police Department arrested and booked the Page man into Coconino County Jail Oct. 14, 2020. Sasaki was charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
In a plea agreement in Coconino County Superior Court, Sasaki pled guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
The investigation began when Utah Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force notified the Page Police Department of a possible child pornography case.
According to an Oct. 21 press release from the Page PD: “Our Criminal Investigations Division opened an investigation, which led to a search warrant being conducted in late July. Further investigation and analysis of evidence collected from the search warrant led to the arrest of 64-year-old Kenneth Sasaki of Page.”
Before the investigation began, Sasaki was president of Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, one of Page’s largest employers. A company representative, who did not want to be named, told the Chronicle, “When we were informed in July, the company took immediate action and released Ken. We searched company equipment for any material. None was discovered, and we were never contacted by any law enforcement official asking to examine our computers.”
Sasaki was initially charged with 10 counts of Arizona Statue 13-3553, sexual exploitation of a minor. According to Arizona State Legislature, the statute applies to someone who commits sexual exploitation of a minor by knowingly:
Recording, filming, photographing, developing or duplicating any visual depiction in which a minor is engaged in exploitive exhibition or other sexual conduct.
Distributing, transporting, exhibiting, receiving, selling, purchasing, electronically transmitting, possessing or exchanging any visual depiction in which a minor is engaged in exploitive exhibition or other sexual conduct.