Former Moanalua girls wrestling coach Sean Sakaida arrested by FBI
The short version
- Sean S. Sakaida, former Moanalua High girls wrestling coach, faces federal possession and receipt of child pornography charges.
- He is in custody at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu; charges remain sealed until his federal court appearance.
- The FBI believes he primarily targeted female minor wrestlers between 2012 and 2026 and is asking victims to submit an online form.
- Sakaida won four straight state titles at Moanalua starting in 2021 and was placed on leave in fall 2025 over an alleged relationship with a player.
- Similar accusations in 2012 at Roosevelt High were investigated by the DOE but never referred to police.
Federal agents have charged Sean S. Sakaida, who won four Hawaii state titles at Moanalua High School, with possession and receipt of child pornography.
Federal authorities have taken Sean S. Sakaida, the former head coach of the girls' wrestling program at Moanalua High School in Hawaii, into custody on charges tied to possessing and receiving child pornography. Agents from the FBI's Honolulu Field Office made the arrest, and Sakaida is currently being held at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu. The specific charging documents remain sealed pending his appearance in federal court.
The FBI's Honolulu office is working to uncover anyone who may have been harmed by Sakaida. According to the bureau, investigators believe female wrestlers who were minors at the time were his principal targets during a period running from 2012 through 2026. The agency has set up a short online form and asked anyone victimized by Sakaida, or with knowledge relevant to the case, to submit information, while urging people aware of other possible victims to encourage those individuals to fill out the form themselves. Victim identities will remain confidential, and those affected may qualify for services, restitution and rights under federal or state law.
Sakaida built one of Hawaii's most successful programs at Moanalua. He launched the school's run of girls' wrestling championships in 2021 and steered the squad to its first four state titles. The National Wrestling Coaches Association named him its Hawaii coach of the year for 2025. He was suspended from his duties in fall 2025 after allegations emerged that he was in a relationship with one of the team's standout athletes. Reggie Torres took over the program and led it to a fifth consecutive state championship this past March.
The state Department of Education addressed the case in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The department said student safety and well-being are its top priority and described the allegations as something it views with the utmost seriousness. It also directed anyone holding information connected to the investigation to reach out to the FBI.
If convicted, Sakaida faces significant prison time. A possession count carries a maximum federal sentence of 10 years, while a receipt count carries up to five years.
The current case is not the first time Sakaida has faced accusations involving female wrestlers. In April 2012, while leading Roosevelt High School's boys' and girls' wrestling teams, a post he had held for at least seven years, he was placed on leave after officials informed him that a parent alleged inappropriate contact with at least two female wrestlers, including late-night text messages sent around 3 a.m. and the kissing of a 13-year-old girl on the team. The DOE's Civil Rights Compliance office looked into the 2012 accusations, but the matter never went to police.
Speaking to the Star-Advertiser at that time, Sakaida, then 30, denied any wrongdoing. He described himself as flabbergasted by the accusation and insisted nothing of the sort occurred, saying he never came on to any of his students. He acknowledged texting students who came to him for guidance on personal problems, saying former wrestlers still in college would call him for advice because he made himself available. He framed his coaching purpose as helping students build life skills and prepare for college, expressed that the episode was disheartening, said he trusted he would ultimately be cleared, and stated he simply wanted the matter behind him.
