Christian J. Koalani, 67, of Pacific Beach, was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in state prison after operating a website that was used in online prostitution.
Deputy District Attorney Dan Owens said this was Koalani’s third conviction for pimping and pandering, and this offense involved furnishing tranquilizers to a 17-year-old girl.
“He victimized numerous people over many years and destroyed lives along the way,” said Owens afterwards.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Polly Shamoon gave Koalani credit for serving 119 days in jail since his June 2 arrest by San Diego Police following a year-long investigation by the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force. One task force member attended the sentencing. Koalani pleaded guilty to two counts of pandering in operating the now closed website. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy with his 23-year-old wife, Hannah Koalani, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy as well. She will be sentenced Oct. 17 and faces up to two years in jail. Hannah Koalani remains free on bond.
Koalani’s attorney, Elliott Kanter, said Koalani will have to serve four years of the eight-year term before he can be paroled.
Dale A. Vinzant, 68, operated another similar website and was sentenced Sept. 8 to one year in jail and a suspended three-year prison term. Vinzant will report to jail on Oct. 24, and court records say he has been authorized to be in a program that could allow home detention if he meets the criteria.
Vinzant pleaded guilty to attempted pimping, soliciting a prostitute, and two counts of money laundering. He was placed on three years probation and fined $1,554 by San Diego Superior court Judge Dan Link.
Link ordered Vinzant to forfeit $7,761 for a bank account that was linked to his website. He ordered Vinzant to pay $1,433 in probation costs and to have no contact with Christian and Hannah Koalani.
Vinzant, who was arrested in Mission Bay on June 3 in the same investigation, remains free on $150,000 bond until Oct. 24.
Both websites have since been shut down. Both websites allowed prostitutes to post profiles and ads for sexual services. Vinzant offered membership services for both customers and prostitutes at a rate of $15 per month.