A former Hawaii high school wrestling coach who led a girls’ program to four state championships has been arrested by the FBI on federal child pornography charges.
Sean Sakaida, the former head coach of the Moanalua High School girls wrestling program, is charged with possession and receipt of child pornography, according to the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office.
Federal agents arrested Sakaida and transferred him to the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu, where he remained in custody.
The FBI also launched an effort to locate potential victims who may have encountered Sakaida during his years coaching high school wrestling.
Investigators said they believe Sakaida primarily targeted female wrestlers who were minors between 2012 and 2026.
Authorities asked anyone who believes they were victimized by Sakaida, or who possesses information relevant to the investigation, to complete a confidential questionnaire available through the FBI’s website.
“If you know of someone else who has possibly been victimized by Sean Sakaida, please encourage them to complete the form themselves,” the FBI said.
The agency said information provided through the questionnaire is voluntary but could help investigators locate potential victims and determine whether they qualify for services, restitution or other rights available under federal or state law.
Officials said the identities of potential victims will remain confidential.
Sakaida received the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s Hawaii Coach of the Year award in 2025. He previously guided Moanalua’s girls wrestling team through the first four championships of what became a five-year state-title streak.
School officials placed Sakaida on leave in fall 2025 following allegations that he had entered a relationship with one of his players.
Reggie Torres subsequently replaced Sakaida and coached Moanalua to its fifth consecutive state championship in March.
Sakaida previously coached the boys and girls wrestling teams at Roosevelt High School for at least seven years.
His coaching record came under scrutiny in 2012 after the parent of a Roosevelt wrestler accused him of inappropriate contact with female athletes.
The parent alleged that Sakaida exchanged text messages with at least two female wrestlers late at night, sometimes as late as 3 a.m., and kissed a 13-year-old wrestler.
Roosevelt High School officials placed Sakaida on leave while the Hawaii Department of Education’s Civil Rights Compliance office investigated the allegations. Honolulu police were not involved in that inquiry, according to reporting at the time.
Sakaida denied the 2012 allegations.
“That is totally false,” Sakaida said at the time. “Nothing like that happened. I never ever came on to any of my students.”
He said his communications with wrestlers concerned practices or requests for assistance and maintained that he never contacted students inappropriately.
Sakaida later joined Moanalua’s wrestling program and oversaw one of Hawaii’s most successful girls’ teams. Athletic records list him as Moanalua’s girls wrestling coach during multiple championship seasons, per the Star-Advertiser.
The FBI is required to identify potential victims of federal offenses it investigates. Agents said people who respond to the questionnaire may be contacted and asked to provide additional information.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed the evidence underlying the possession and receipt charges or announced whether additional charges are expected.
The investigation remains active. Sakaida has been charged but not convicted. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
