Maui man charged in child porn case
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
A 42-year-old Maui man who was convicted of sexual assault five years ago was charged yesterday with possessing child pornography.
Edward J. Dugan of Kihei was charged with knowingly receiving and attempting to receive three child pornography videotapes through the mail. He was named in a criminal complaint filed yesterday in U.S. District Court.
If convicted, Dugan would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison with a maximum of 30 years, said Lawrence Tong, assistant U.S. attorney. Tong said Dugan would not be eligible for parole during the 15-year term.
Dugan was arrested Wednesday morning after U.S. Postal Service inspectors with a warrant searched his Nanakai Street home. Inspectors recovered three videotapes that had been delivered to his house early that day, according to an affidavit filed to support the charges by postal inspector Gary Welsh.
Welsh said Dugan admitted paying $153 when he ordered the tapes from a Florida man in May and said he knew that it was illegal to possess the material, the affidavit said. Dugan also told Welsh that inspectors could find child pornography that he kept in his computer.
The affidavit said Dugan also had "surreptitiously" photographed young girls at beaches, swimming areas, parks and other public locations. Inspectors recovered photographs at his home, the affidavit said.
The Postal Service became aware of Dugan after the arrest of Angel Mariscal in Miami on federal charges of commercial production and distribution of child pornography through the U.S. mail. Inspectors recovered a document that indicated Dugan had ordered videos in 1998, according to the affidavit.
In April 2003, a postal inspector mailed a catalog using the Mariscal company name to Dugan. The catalog described a collection of videotapes.
On May 6, Dugan mailed back an order for the three videotapes, which were delivered to Dugan Wednesday by the inspector, authorities said.
On Nov. 24, 1998, Dugan was convicted in state court for the second-degree sexual assault of a minor. He was sentenced to one year in prison and 20 years supervised probation.
