What did Dwayne Yuen do? Punahou basketball coach arrested by FBI on alleged child s*x crimes

Dwayne Yuen has been a girls' basketball coach at Punahou High School since the early 2000s. The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested him on Thursday, February 2, for possession of child s*x abuse material.

The 49-year-old has previously been accused of s*xually assaulting teenage players on the basketball team. The charges were settled out of court.

The FBI has also asked potential victims to come forward. Their identities will not be compromised, and they might be called for further statements.

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Basketball coach Dwayne Yuen has been grooming and assaulting teenagers since the early 2000s

2020 allegations against Yuen (Image via Twitter/@SNAPNetwork)

In 2020, three underage student-athletes came forward along with two anonymous victims and pointed fingers at Yuen for grooming and abusing them. The plaintiffs were Shwana-Lei Kuehu, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, Mahina Macfarlane, and two anonymous women.

The accusation report stated,

“Yuen was a s*xual predator who targeted and s*xually groomed underage female students attending Punahou School.”

In August 2021, they reached a settlement out of court, and the entire matter was dismissed. The settlement amount hasn’t been disclosed, and the school issued an apology.

Screenshot of a tweet by @dave_reardon (Image via Twitter)

On Yuen's arrest, James Curry, the spokesperson for the FBI's Honolulu Field Office, said:

“Today, The FBI arrested Dwayne Yuen at his home (Manoa) on federal charges related to the possession of child s*x abuse material.”

A website set up by the FBI for victims to visit and contact investigators stated:

“It is believed Yuen contacted his victims in person and via electronic communications, engaging in the illegal activity for years, as far back as 2004. Although Yuen resided on Oahu, he may have traveled to other islands and locations while coaching basketball throughout the years."

Screenshot of a tweet detailing Shawna-Lei's lawsuit against the former basketball coach (Image via Twitter/@bullsey66178832)

Dwayne Yuen could face up to 10 years in prison at a minimum if found guilty.

The complaint says that Yuen sent a string of text messages to the victim, including explicit photos of himself, and asked the victims to perform s*xual acts with him and to send explicit photos of themselves. He repeatedly got gifts for the victim and offered to pay additional money if she engaged with him s*xually (for example, phone s*x).

After getting a warrant, Dwayne Yuen’s iCloud Account was searched, and images of the victims that were either sent at his request or were captured during a video chat were found.

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Enraged by the likes of Dwayne Yuen, people demand justice

Talking about Yuen's arrest, United States Attorney Connors said:

“This complaint charges defendant with repeatedly taking s*xual advantage of a minor who played on a team he coached. The alleged conduct is a reprehensible violation of the trust both parents and the community place in adults responsible for their children’s athletic endeavors.”

A Twitter user had something to say about the case too:

Speaking about Dwayne Yuen's alleged assault, acting Special Agent in Charge Floyd said that it is the FBI's top priority to protect "our children." He said:

"The alleged actions of Mr. Yuen are nothing short of disgraceful. Our investigation shows he abused the power of his position as a trusted member of the community to exploit the most vulnerable - our keiki. Protecting our children and holding those who prey on them accountable is a top priority for the FBI. We will stop at nothing when investigating these heinous crimes."

Yuen's first court appearance is scheduled to take place in the United States District Court on February 3, 2023, at 10.30 am in front of United States Magistrate Judge Rom Trader.